Harry Potter: The Canadian Connection
by MikeLima777
Summary: Spinoff from "Harry Potter's Secret Friend" by munkeymaniac. Harry and his closest friends are forced to leave Britain, while Dumbledore searches for a way to defeat Voldemort. HP/DG, NL/TD, HG/OC; Techno-magery included; On Hiatus, rerated M just in case.
1. Preface

**Disclaimer**:

Major characters, locations in Britain, and some elements in the story are based on the Harry Potter Book series by J.K. Rowling. All trademarks and products are owned by their respective organizations. All similarities to real life people, fictional characters, and governments are coincidental or for historical contexts.

Portions of the story are based on "Harry Potter's Secret Friend" by munkeymaniac.

Some elements of "Harry Potter and the Canadian Intervention" are used with expressed permission from CanuckSlashFan

This work has not been endorsed by J.K. Rowling, Raincoast Books, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, or any of the other holding copyright or license to the Harry Potter books or movies. No connection is implied or should be inferred.

This is not a commercial work. The authors receive no financial gain from its production or distribution. It is available without charge.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: This story spins off from the ending of "Harry Potter's Secret Friend," after the events in the Ministry of Magic.

**TITLE**: "Harry Potter and the Canadian Connection"

**OVERALL STORY RATING**: Teen

**WARNINGS**: Scenes of violence, coarse language,

**PARINGS**: Harry Potter/Daphne Greengrass, Neville/Tracy, Hermione/OC, No slash

**SUMMARY**: Following the Events in the Ministry, the British Ministry has turned for the worst, forcing Harry and his closest friends to escape the country.

**Preface**

If Voldemort, born Tom Marvolo Riddle, had any serious faults during his time as the Dark Lord, it was his lack of knowledge of the Wizarding World outside of Europe, courtesy of the rather repressed magical education system in Britain. Sure he had a few operatives in Africa and Asia, yet the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans had long prevented any serious inroads into the Americas. That would prove to be a very fatal mistake.

For the second largest country in the world, Canada had a very low muggle population. It was, of course due, to the fact that much of the nation was a barren, cold wilderness. This, however, did not hamper the Canadian wizarding community. Ever since the ancestors of the First Nations arrived in the Americas, a thriving wizarding community existed, and the population gradually increased, until 1001 AD. Nordic wizards, escaping the pillaging and chaos of the Vikings, fled Scandanavia, first to the place known as Vinland (present-day Newfoundland). Unlike the Muggle Vikings, the initial encounters with the Magical First Nations were far more amicable. Desperate to escape old world persecution, they chose to live with the First Nations shamans and sages, while the Muggle settlers eventually abandoned their settlements. Over 2000 Nordic Witches and Wizards fled their homeland for the New World, and it started a trend.

When several wizards and witches joined the Columbus Expedition, they were drawn to the strong magical signatures of the shamans and witch doctors in North America. Escaping from the expedition fleet, some eventually made their way to the present-day Eastern Seaboard, where they made the first contact between old world wizards and the descendants of the Nordic wizards, who had long since intermarried with the First Nations.

In the two centuries following Columbus, many muggle-born and half-blood wizards and witches in Europe fled persecution from purebloods and vicious muggles. A number eventually made it to the new world, and many willingly accepted their new lives. The First Nations Magical Community was decentralized, and many had welcomed the refugees with open arms. Many took compassion on the incoming wizards, and a steady peace had been established, despite the less friendly relations between the non-magical counterparts. In the 1600s, there was an upsurge of British Wizards, who fled one of the dark lords that routinely plagued the British Isles, compounded in 1658 with Oliver Cromwell's creation of a dictatorship. Hundreds had fled the British Isles, especially Irish Wizards and Witches, and most of the remaining wizards were in pureblood families, who soon led the British Wizarding Community into centuries of cultural stagnation.

The North American wizarding world was nearly divided by the American Revolutionary War, with American wizards and witches joining the fight against the British Forces. However, efforts at diplomacy led by Mohican-Cherokee Wizard William Brant led to the Treaty of St. Lawrence of 1778, which would establish an autonomous government for the American Wizards. This did not go well with the British Ministry of Magic, who attempted to annul the agreement. However, the British then faced threats from the Loyalist Wizards to join the Americans. The British hesitantly backed off, but it left North American wizards with second thoughts on their loyalties.

Soon, there were several magical cities in the continent of North America, with one adjacent to Salem, another in Mesa Point in the Midwest, one in present-day Northern Ontario, and the city of Silvermoon, Northwest Territories. Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver also had magically hidden districts in their suburbs, with a Gringotts Bank Branch these significant areas. By Confederation, the Magical Population in the lands under the BNA Act of 1867 numbered an astounding 457,122 Residents. Since 1700, magical folk from Asia and Europe had fled their country for better lives, and few returned to the old world.

Occasionally, there were powerful dark lords that tried to take over Canada and the United States, and all had been defeated, though usually with heavy losses. Unlike many in the old world, the two nations soon realized the need for a true military presence to avoid repeating the mistakes of the pass, and established full-time armies for defense. Surprisingly new in the Wizarding world, it would change everything for Canada.

In 1897, a dark warlock from France, Lord Henri "Le Bourreaur" (the Executioner) seized power in the French Wizarding world, leading to hundreds of wizards and witches, including several dozen Veelas, fleeing the country. The British held against the dark lord, though refused to assist Spain and Italy, who were being attacked by the French and several sympathizers from within their countries. Canada decided to act, with two thousand soldiers of the Royal Canadian Magical Regiment portkeying to a staging area in Spain on June 12.

European magical wars were usually fought by Aurors and Unspeakables, essentially paramilitary police and intelligence agents. Conversely, the Canadians were equipped almost like muggle soldiers, donned in newly adopted Khaki battle dress and armed with magically enhanced Lee-Enfield MLE rifles, with wands as their backup sidearms. It was a massacre of the old world French Magical "Army".

On January 9, 1898, in the Battle of Belchite, a French Invasion Force of 5000 Aurors, joined by a number of allies, faced the Canadians and 3000 Spanish Aurors. 2799 French Aurors and 477 Sympathizers were eliminated in seven days. The Spanish lost 1934, while the Canadians lost 127 soldiers in one of the worst fights of the war. It was, however, the tipping point, as the French advance collapsed and the 25 Days of Canada began, which ended with the infamous Battle of La Souffrance which lasted from January 30 to February 4. 259 Canadian soldiers fell in the violent end to the Wizarding War of 1897-1898, which saw the decimation of the French and Spanish Auror Corps and the very violent and explosive end to "Le Bourreaur".

In the years following 1867, the Canadian and American Magical communities had continued to grow, with numerous refugees from various dark lords and strife on the other side of the world. Both the Canadian Ministry of Magic (later renamed the Department of Magical Affairs) and the American Department of Magic and Wizardry saw the need to reconcile tradition with progress, creating the joint US-Canadian Institute of Techno-Magery in 1950. This was strongly supported by a growing movement in these two nations, many who watched the violent rise and fall of Gellert Grindelwald across the Atlantic. Many felt that magical society needed to keep up with the muggle world, or be eventually abandoned by growing numbers of mubble-born witches and wizards. The numerous cultures that had entered the North American Wizarding World shaped the Canadian and American Magical Communities to be very open, yet strongly patriotic of their respective countries.

By the 1970s, North American magical culture was soon analogous with contemporary muggle culture; robes were only kept for tradition, with most preferring muggle clothing. Hockey had long surpassed Quidditch as the sport of Canada, though some love of the broom based sport still remained. By 1990, the Magical Population in Canada was an estimated 2,327,421 people, and the possible threats from within Europe continued to drive immigration to North America.

Author's Edit: I'm shrinking down the population just a bit. Really, really hard to hide really hide 430 magical schools and 3,127,421 wizards and witches, right?


	2. Chapter 1: The Travel Plans

June 19, 1996

**Harry awoke in the Hospital wing at Hogwarts. At some point, he had passed out from exhaustion, but he felt better as he sat up now. Harry looked about and smiled when he saw Sirius sitting next to him. His godfather look tired, but healthier than he'd ever been. Clearly traveling abroad agreed with him.**

**"Hey, welcome back, young man." Sirius said softly. "you gave us a bit of a start when you passed out."**

**"Sirius." Harry smiled, hugging his godfather. "What happened to you? I tried for weeks to get in touch with you."**

**"Yes, well, traveling as a muggle does have disadvantages it seems." Sirius chuckled, his face becoming red. "I was on a train outside of Munich when I was joined by a pleasant, if not rather large woman. I think she may have been related to your Uncle. She had a bit of a moustache, you see. Anyway, she sat on my bag, and broke the mirror. I couldn't make a new one without yours, as they need to be connected."**

**"That's actually much funnier than what Daphne came up with. She figured you had a romantic evening with a woman who stole the mirror."**

**"No, I always hid the mirror." Sirius sighed. "I've spoken with Neville and Tracey. They were let go almost immediately. I'm very proud of you, Harry. What you did was very brave. Foolish, but brave."**

**"I didn't know what else to do. I had to help you." Harry shrugged.**

**"Yes, well I couldn't have asked for a better rescue team. All of you performed fantastically."**

**"How is everyone?" Harry said looking around.**

**"Everyone is asleep. Ron is the worst. No one knows what he was hit with, but Madam Pomfrey is taking good care of him. He'll be asleep for a day or two, and that scar will never go away."**

**Harry stood and went to see the redhead. Sirius followed closely.**

**"He saved us all, Sirius. Several times in fact."**

**"Ron's heart has always been with you. Sometimes the mind has a hard time remembering that."**

**"I don't know what's going to happen between us." Harry shook his head sadly. Sirius clutched Harry's shoulder.**

**"Don't worry about it just yet. Sometimes friends grow apart. Sometimes you need distance so each of you can grow, then you come back together. The friendship will be different, but maybe it will be better. Give him a chance to decide, and then leave the past in the past, yeah?"**

**Harry nodded. He moved to where Hermione lay resting. "What happened to her?" He asked, a little panic rising in his voice.**

**"Well, not much, really. A few bumps and bruises, nothing too bad. She just refused to leave until she knew everyone was ok. She's fiercely loyal, that one."**

**Harry turned and went to where the person he wanted to see most was lying peacefully. Her black hair was fanned out on her pillow, and she looked angelic as she slept. Harry sat beside her and took her hand.**

**"Malfoy almost made me believe she had betrayed me, Sirius. I almost fell for it, and I could have lost her." Harry said glumly.**

**"But you didn't."**

**"Thanks to Ron. Sirius, when Voldemort was possessing me, I saw her. I saw you and Hermione, and as much as I hurt, as much as I wanted Dumbledore to kill me, I saw her and I wanted to live, to be with her."**

**"It's called love, son. It makes us stronger than we know. Makes us face impossible odds, and conquer our fears. It also makes us do silly stuff, all just to see the object of our love smile at us. It is the strangest, most powerful magic I have ever witnessed." Sirius smiled.**

Suddenly, Harry could hear footsteps, getting progressively louder, followed by the doors to the infirmary opening. He was surprised to see a man and a woman running into the medical wing towards Daphne, followed by Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore. The professors all had looks of concern mixed with gladness, though Snape was more or less as usual. The man who led the professors in was a dark tall brunette, with deep chocolate brown eyes that he shared with his daughters. The woman, his wife, resembled an older Daphne, with deep midnight black hair and soft hazelnut eyes. The man seemed...conflicted, looking with a mix of uncertainty and determination at both his daughter and the boy that Daphne had chosen.

"Hello, are you Mr. Harry Potter?"

"Uhh...yes, sir."

He shook Harry's hand with a faint smile on his face.

"Hello, I am Cyrus Greengrass, and this is my wife, Aurora. I have heard a lot about you this past summer from my daughter. You've made quite an impression on her, Potter."

"Please call me Harry, sir."

"Alright, Harry, but first..."

Cyrus Greengrass and the three professors suddenly raised their wands and erected a privacy charm and silencing charm over the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was quite surprised by the privacy wards.

"My apologies, ma'am, but we have no choice.

"Harry, I'm afraid that Cornelius Fudge has decided to clamp down on everyone. He saw the Dark Lord, but instead of admitting his mistake, it seems he has decided to take matters into his own hands. He's already announced new laws to grant him emergency powers, which he will inevitably abuse. I'm trying to do the best to stop these new laws, but it seems that many on the Wizengamot are less than helpful. While Lucius Malfoy was arrested, it seems that his allies are switching over and are now supporting Fudge. I figure that sooner or later, he will be under their grip, and by extension, You-Know-Who. I'm guessing that the Dark Lord wants to turn Fudge into a puppet. Dumbledore?"

The old Headmaster sighed and he looked intently at Harry, his eyes filled with a mix of regret and frustration.

"Harry, I **have been reinstated as Headmaster, and fortunately, all of Madam Umbridge's ridiculous decrees have been thrown out**. However, it seems that she has been allowed to remain as 'High Inquisitor' at Hogwarts, and will likely keep a close eye on everything for the Ministry.

**"Harry, I would like to tell you how immensely proud of you I am. You have gone so far above and beyond any expectations this year. First, with helping to do something that many have tried throughout the years. You have helped to finally put to rest the silly House rivalries at this school. You have led others to try to make friends in all of the different houses. No small feat by any means, Harry. I myself have been unable to help Slytherins and Gryffindor form friendships.**

"As well, despite Professor Umbridge**, **your amazing work in helping other students in learning Defense Against the Dark Arts proved to the school that her methods were wrong, and everyone will be wary of her in the following year.** Were it not for your relative inexperience, and your age, I would seriously consider asking you to teach in the future. As it stands, I would have asked that you consider continuing the club in the next year.**

**"And now, I must ask for your forgiveness. It seems, once again, I was mistaken in my choices." Dumbledore frowned. His eyes bore gazed at Harry as the young man seemed to be thinking.**

**"I don't understand, sir." Harry said, clearly confused. **

**"Your godfather was correct. Not only should I have told you about the prophecy and it's contents, but I should have done it years ago. But I wanted to protect you, as any who meet you and experience your good nature rend to want to do. You, Harry, have come from a difficult life, and still managed to be one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.**

**"But in my efforts, I became blind to your needs. You see, Harry, as I look at what needs to be done for the good of the world, I forget about the people in it. It is those people whom I am trying to protect that matter most. You matter most, and I have failed you." **As it is, this was the prophecy that Voldemort so desperately wanted:

**"**_**The one with the power to vanquish the - Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…" **_

**Harry couldn't breathe. He clutched his chest, and felt Sirius gripping his shoulder. Harry put his head down, trying to get blood going to his brain. He shut his eyes, tears burning him. Finally he knew the reasons he'd lost his parents. Harry knew why the prophecy was so important to Voldemort, and why He, Harry had been tricked into going to the Ministry to retrieve it.**

**"What does it mean?" He uttered.**

**"Harry, it meant nothing. Nothing at all, until Voldemort heard the first portion, which I understand you have been told of."**

**Harry looked up. His eyes were burning with the tears that spilled down his cheeks. "Why? Why did this all happen?"**

**"Because of jealousy, and the lust for power." Dumbledore said sadly. "You of course know all about Severus' mistake. But Voldemort is just as any others who have gained power. They are afraid of losing it. But Lord Voldemort's deepest fear is death. You, of course, heard him tell me that there was nothing worse than death, and he has taken many steps to see that he can never truly die.**

**"Harry, this prophecy could have been made about two different boys, you and Neville Longbottom. But he made it about you the night he murdered you parents. He marked you, Harry.**

**"But his greatest weakness is his inability to look at a problem from all its angles, and understand it's meanings. He is brash, and does not use his knowledge as he should. It was how he was defeated that night. Your mother placed herself between Lord Voldemort and yourself. When he killed her, he invoked a deep magic that rebounded the killing curse off of you and destroyed his body. That scar was Voldemort marking you his equal. Had he ignored the prophecy, none of this would have happened, and he would, perhaps, still have his original body and possibly be more powerful. But he chose to heed the prophecy without knowing it's entire contents."**

**"So I have to kill him, or he kills me? Is that how it works then?"**

**"I am unsure of the true nature, as of yet." Dumbledore answered. "I have been doing extensive research into Lord Voldemort's past. I believe that understanding the past can help in solving the problems of the future. I have discovered how Lord Voldemort has conquered death, and begun taking steps to reverse it. It will take time, Harry, but I am doing my best to make sure that the Dark Lord will be defeated. I do know this about the Prophecy. It will be you who faces him. But I doubt you will be alone. As has been proven, you will have the help of your friends."**

**Harry swallowed thickly. He looked to Sirius, who was watching Harry with a mixture of pride and fear for what the boy would have to face.**

**"What happened to Voldemort when he possessed me?" Harry asked. Dumbledore sat back in his seat, a fond smile on his face.**

**"Your love for your friends. The most powerful magic there is, Harry. And Voldemort, who has never believed in it's power, and always felt was a weakness, has just learned how truly powerful it is. He felt it in you and it hurt him. I imagine when you saw Miss Greengrass, you felt warm inside, perhaps filled with a strength you've never felt before?"**

**Harry nodded and Dumbledore chuckled. "That was how you were able to throw him out of your mind, and hurt him. He will, I imagine, be physically scarred by it, a reminder, perhaps, of what he has again failed to understand and embrace.**

**"Harry, there is** **much more we need to discuss. I wish to tell you all I have learned and help prepare you for what must be done.** Unfortunately, recent actions by one Cornelius Fudge have changed that. Even so, **I think it is prudent that you try to have fun, and live your life. Do not let this prophecy run your life as Lord Voldemort did.**

**"You should start this summer. You, of course, know that you will not be returning to you relatives, as the wards have failed. When Lord Voldemort took your blood to make his body, he negated the wards and they began to crumble. Perhaps if your aunt and uncle had treated you as their own, as I had suggested, the wards would have been harder to destroy. But it is too late for it, at any rate."**

**"What will happen to them?" Harry asked curious. He didn't care about his family, who had never showed him any thing but contempt.**

**"They have been moved out of the country. Your Uncle was given a promotion and sent overseas. They are quite happy in their new life." Dumbledore smiled genuinely.**

**"What happens to me?"**

"I'm afraid that is now up to Mr. Greengrass to discuss this."

Cyrus spoke up again.

"Harry, Fudge is planning to have the Wizengamot pass new laws granting him the ability to arrest without a trial, retry previous offenses, and legalize blood quills. I've also heard rumours that John Dawlish, who I swear is allied with the Death Eaters, will replace Kingsley Shacklebolt in leading the Auror Corps. Britain is no longer safe for you or your friends."

Harry simple stared, with frustration and disbelief swirling in his mind. The Minister was turning into a puppet dictator for Voldemort, and it was now unsafe to stay.

"So how do we get out?"

A faint grin appeared on Cyrus's face.

"I have a cousin named Daniel, who left Britain after his seventh year for Canada. He has agreed to take you, Daphne, and your Friends into his care, and also vouch for Sirius to prevent his extradition. Sirius was only charged under British Magical Laws. Based on the questionable practices of the British Ministry of Magic, and the fact that Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban without trial, much of the world does not trust that judgment. I'm sure if Mr. Fudge demands his extradition, the Canadians will be laughing too hard to respond."

**"Won't** you and the Professors be **in danger now**?" Harry asked.

"We were **all in danger the moment** we **were born, Harry." Sirius spoke up**. "**So long as Voldemort draws breath, danger hangs over us all, no matter if we associate with you or not. Remember that your friends give you strength, and it would be foolish to push them away."**

**"I could never do that. They showed me that today. I just want them as safe as possible." Harry said softly.**

**"Measures will be taken **to make sure you and your friends are safe**. Rest up, Harry, spend time with your friends, and try to think not of the prophecy, but of living your life. We shall speak again soon, and this I swear to you now." Dumbledore stood, looking meaningfully at Harry.**

**"No longer will you be kept in the dark, or not have the tools and information you need. Sirius has been correct all this time, and as wise as I am, it would do me well to heed the young."**

June 20

**Daphne awoke feeling refreshed, though her ankle still hurt a bit. She sat up in her bed and Madam Pomfrey rushed forward to check on her. After a few moments she pronounce Daphne fit, and allowed her to stand. She looked about and found the bed with her boyfriend. She rushed over to him, as he too was just now waking up.**

**"Hey." She said, sitting next to him.**

**"Hey. I'm sorry. None of us should have been there." He said honestly. Daphne caressed his cheek, and turned his head so he could look into her eyes.**

**"We went with you because it was the right thing to do. We'd all do it again in a moment."**

**"She's right." Said Neville sitting down next to Harry's bed. Tracey plopped down into his lap.**

**"I will always have your back." Neville smiled. Harry reached out his hand and Neville gripped it firmly. They nodded at each other and released the handshake.**

**"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.**

**"Wondering what happens now." Said the bushy haired witch, who sat at the foot of Harry's bed. She looked tired, but otherwise fine. "Where do we go from here?"**

At this time, Cyrus and Aurora Greengrass, who just arrived back in the hospital wing, rushed to Daphne's bed and hugged her warmly. Aurora eyes welled while embracing her eldest daughter.

Pulling away from Daphne, Cyrus looked intently, and recasted a privacy charm over Harry and Daphne's beds. He explained to the teens the situation in the Ministry, and the new plans to leave for Canada. He suggested that Hermione could talk with her parents, as they did have relatives in Canada, and had sent letters the previous night to all the families concerned. The Weasleys were loath to have Ron live in a distant and unknown country, so he could not join the others on the flight. The other families had reluctantly agreed to the trip and Greengrass had already purchased flight tickets for the five teens and Sirius Black, under an assumed name.

During the End of the Year Feast, the five friends sat together at the Ravenclaw Table, to the amusement of the staff. Malfoy, whose father was current incarcerated, simply glared menacingly at the group, while Ron sat somewhat lonely at the Gryffindor Table. Despite his sacrifice, Ron still felt ashamed of his conduct in the past year.

Harry, Daphne, Neville, Tracy, Hermione, Ginny and Luna sat together on the Hogwarts Express on the trip back home.

When the students returned to Platform 9 ¾ on the 23rd, they were soon whisked back to their homes, with Harry going to 12 Grimmauld Place with a mangy-looking dog animagus. With every household aware of the situation and the travel plans, the Teens started to all pack much of their belongings and clothing into trunks (or magically extended luggage cases in the case of Hermione) which were then transfigured to appear like muggle luggage bags. On the 24th, Harry went with Remus Lupin to Diagon Alley to ascertain the status of his finances prior to the flight. He found out that he could access the money from his trust vault as well as limited access to one of the Potter family vaults from the Canadian Branches of the Wizarding bank. Harry Potter was also given a disguised debit card that would allow him to purchase goods in Canada with money taken from the Potter Vault, dispensing with the need to set up a muggle bank account. The flight, a Canadian Airlines 747 flying from London Heathrow to Toronto Pearson, was set for the 26th.

Author's note: All Bolded text was taken directly from Chapter 30 of "Harry Potter's Secret Friend"


	3. Chapter 2: Taking off

June 26

Harry Potter woke up early, with Hedwig hooting excitedly. He quickly went to the bathroom for his morning rituals. Afterwards, he went back to his room to change into a light t-shirt and baggy jeans. He charmed his glasses to have a darker tint, the better to disguise himself and protect his eyes from the summer sun.

Sirius was already up and had glamored himself to pass off as a muggle; he had already owned a passport from his travels to Europe and had received the necessary travel documents for the long trip. He was wearing baggy jeans like his Godson, and also wore a red polo shirt. He was wearing a pair of conjured tinted aviators which, in his mind, made him all the more dashing for would be "acquaintances".

Harry checked to see that all his belonging were packed and ready, with Hedwig currently housed in her cage. It was not often that a muggle airport had to process an owl for a transoceanic flight. After a light breakfast with Sirius, they exited the house, awaiting the Grangers', who were coming to pick up Harry and Sirius on the way to the airport.

Hermione and her parents arrived in a BMW E34 station wagon, which already had Hermione's suitcase and carry-on in the trunk. She came out and hugged Harry before helping them move their luggage into the trunk.

Hermione, Sirius, and Harry were the first to arrive at Heathrow Airport, with Hermione's parents giving their daughter one last hug before driving back home after unloading the suitcases and two backpacks, one owned by Hermione and one bought by the Grangers as a gift to Harry. They were also planning to go to Canada, but needed to prepare the Grangers' Dental Office for their absence. As they sped away, Daphne and her family were the next to arrive in a Taxi.

To Harry's surprise, the Greengrass family all wore contemporary muggle clothing. Cyrus was wearing a button up shirt, blazer and trousers, greeting Harry and Hermione warmly. Aurora wore a plain, white blouse and tan shorts, and briefly caught the attention of Sirius, who looked at the stunning woman a bit too long only to look away with a half-humored, half-serious death glare from Cyrus. Astoria was dressed in a sky blue t-shirt and skinny jeans and also looked splendid on the sunny day, a rarity in London.

Harry, however, could not avert his eyes from his girlfriend. Daphne wore a tight lime-green short sleeve shirt that accentuated her figure quite nicely, with a pair of denim shorts that made Harry slightly blush. She rushed forwards and gave Harry a long kiss while embracing her deepest friend tightly.

They were only interrupted when the Davis family arrived in their magically enhanced Ford Cortina, with Neville exiting the car tenderly grasping Tracy's hand as she followed Neville out of the car before unloading the suitcases from the car. The Greengrass and Davis families gave their emotional farewells to their children who had grown so much and were ready for the next adventure. Harry also got a final pat from Cyrus, who looked very proud of his firstborn's boyfriend.

They entered the airport terminal and quickly headed to a row of check-in counters which had the logo of Canadian Airlines displayed on CRT Televisions. Due to the very traditionalist British Ministry of Magic, there were no magical check-in booths or support for air travelers in Britain's Major Airports. As a consequence, all Witches and Wizards leaving Britain had to use the muggle system to board their plane.

Hermione and Sirius, who had the most experience with flying abroad, helped the other four teens with the check-in process (though Harry learned quite quickly). They booked two rows on the left hand side of the aircraft, overlooking the wing of their plane. They dropped off their luggage, which had been charmed to weight much lighter than the maximum limit, and watched as the disguised trunks and suitcases sped off to their plane.

After receiving their tickets, they passed through security with ease and arrived at passport control, where immigration officers inspected passengers' passports and documents. Fortunately, the six wizards and witches had already received passports and were soon on their way. They went to a nearby fast food restaurant to have a quick lunch. Harry slightly raised his eyebrow when Hermione took one of the burgers and placed it inside her backpack, mumbling about airplane food. They arrived an hour early at the gate, and so they sat by the windows, with Neville and Tracy looking out at the massive aircraft that would take them across the Atlantic.

The plane, a Boeing 747-400, among the first owned by Canadian Airlines, looked splendid in its white, red, blue and grey livery. Neville and Tracy watched as a train of baggage containers was loaded onto the aircraft. They were amused to see the stunned looks on the airport staff's faces as they handled several cages, each with an owl inside, as well as a travel case with a very agitated Crookshanks. The box containing Neville's toad, Trevor, was also carefully loaded, though Neville was a bit afraid that his familiar would go missing, again.

Hermione had brought along a deck of cards for the flight, so she, Daphne, Harry, and Sirius sat in a circle as Hermione taught them how to play Goldfish. Harry knew how to play as it was something he had enjoyed back in the day when it was just him, Hermione, and Ron, with Ron pestering Hermione on the boringness of the game. Of course, that usually led to a petty argument between the two, which usually ended the game and the pair leaving in opposite directions. Now, however, Daphne and Sirius were quite attentive, and carefully listened to Hermione. They were quick learners, and clearly wanted to just have some bonding time.

Daphne continued to tenderly grasp Harry's hand for most of the time, and they spent much of their time looking at each other quite fondly. That was usually interrupted by Hermione, which made the pair blush before resuming the game.

Finally, it was almost time to board the plane. When their rows of seats were called up, the six joined the line up to board the plane. After their tickets were processed they walked down the aisle, dragging magically extended carry-ons behind them, with Harry and Hermione wearing their backpacks. They arrived at the door of the plane, and stepped on-board, one by one. The flight attendants gracefully looked at their tickets, and pointed them down the left aisle of the airliner. They headed down that way, navigating around other passengers opening the overhead compartments and loading them with their carry-on. When they reached their two rows, Harry and Sirius silently casted a privacy charm over the group's seats, which made everyone else ignore any talk of magic or any magical items that they had. Sirius, Harry, and Neville helped the girls load up their carry-ons into the over compartment (Sirius quietly giving the compartment an extension charm) and loaded the rest of their luggage inside.

Hermione, Tracy, and Neville were in the forward of the two rows of seats, with Harry, Daphne, and Sirius in the back. Hermione and Harry kept their backpacks and placed them at their picked spots, with Hermione looking disappointed as the backpacks were not magically extended. Harry took out the aircraft safety instructions and made a brief look over the diagrams and pictures on the laminated paper. He also looked at the on board magazine, which had some interesting articles on destinations around the world, information on the Canadian Airlines fleet, as well as the current in-flight movies. The first would be an animated film made a company named Pixar, titled "Toy Story." The other film of the flight was "Goldeneye," starring Pierce Brosnan as the legendary MI6 Agent, James Bond.

At 2 PM, the cabin door was closed and Harry could feel the massive plane be pushed back by a tug. The plane pulled away from the gate, and slowly turned to the left. The tug soon stopped pushing, and Harry could see the heavy vehicle speed away. Then he heard a loud roar as the first of four General Electric CF6 Engines was ignited, followed shortly by the three other engines lighting up in a sequence.

The aircraft slowly moved down the apron, passing by other aircraft at the gates. The pilot was now speaking over the intercom, explaining the basic overview of the flight, after which an airplane safety movie was projected on the center front wall of the cabin section and on small tvs that lowered from the ceiling along the side rows of seats.

Daphne, though firmly secured to her seat by her seat-belt, looked over Harry and watched as the terminal and other muggle airplanes passed by the window, barely noticing as flaps and slats were extended from the wing to maximize the wing area for take-off. Harry and Daphne had never had the chance to travel outside the country using non-magical means (though in Harry's case, he never left Britain his entire life), and both were a bit nervous of their first transoceanic flight. They held each others hand a little tightly, and Sirius looked over with a mischievous grin.

The aircraft waited as a Cathay Pacific jumbo jet took off for Hong Kong, after which it positioned itself on the runway. The plane stopped, as Harry heard the engines start to rumble louder than before. Then the plane lurched forward and accelerated. Harry heard the cabin begin to pressurize and opened his mouth to alleviate pressure on his ears. The plane roared, and after a few seconds began to pitch up. The plane was soon at take off speed, and Harry felt as the aircraft, no longer supported by the landing gears, took to the sky like a fish in water.


	4. Chapter 3: Enroute, Part I

The aircraft rose steadily above British skies, quickly approaching the planned cruise altitude for the journey west. Her massive turbofans burned hot, propelling the Boeing 747 forward at Mach 0.85. In the cockpit, the pilot was in control of the aircraft, with the co-pilot calling out the altitude readouts while setting up the autopilot settings before holding his left hand over the switch to activate the system.

In the cabin, Harry and three of his companions had some butterflies in their stomachs. It was quite exhilarating to feel the plane rush off the runway and climb, but although it was nothing like flying a broom, the feeling of taking off the ground for the first time without magic was still uneasy on the teens. Neville did start to look a little green, but he fortunately recovered as the aircraft leveled off.

After a few more moments, the seatbelt signs were turned off and, much of the passengers started to move around. Sirius could see the flight attendants start to leave their seats, heading towards the galley to prepare drinks. He tried to get a better view of the attendants, when a hand reached over Daphne and pulled him from the aisle, facing down Harry's half-humoured glare with a mischievous grin.

* * *

><p>The drink cart came down the aisles around at 2:45 PM GMT. Hermione could see the flight attendants as they were serving drinks, and interrupted Neville and Tracy's conversation.<p>

"They're bringing out drinks. Please don't ask for pumpkin juice, butterbeer, or other wizarding drinks. They'll be able to get you juices, water, tea, or soft drinks, but that's about it."

"Hello, what would you like to drink?"

Hermione, quickly responded, "I would like some Sprite, please," and gave a pointed look at Neville and Tracy.

"Orange Juice, please."

"Apple juice for me, please."

After they got their drinks and said thanks, the cart moved to Harry's row. Sirius had acquired a taste of muggle drinks during the past year and had money on hand. "A glass of champagne please. Daphne?"

"I'd like to have some Coca Cola, please."

Harry was a bit surprised that Daphne knew about soft drinks, let alone a specific brand like Coca Cola, but for the moment he pushed it out of his mind.

"I'll have coke as well."

The flight attendants gingerly poured out the drinks into cups and passed the cups out. Sirius gave a grin as he pulled out some coins to pay for the champagne. He gave a handsome mug to the flight attendants, only to get a whack on the arm by Harry.

Harry slyly reprimanded the dog animagus, "Bad dog." To which Sirius gave a wide grin and a mischievous glint in his eyes.

After the cart rolled to the back, Harry decided to satisfy his curiosity. "So Daphne, how do you know about muggle soft drinks, and their brands?"

"Harry, when my family traveled during our holidays, we usually picked muggle restaurants for meals and hotels to stay at. Dad usually explained that it would help me and Tori to explore life outside the wizarding world, and get a fresh perspective. It was interesting to eat food that didn't have magic involved, plus we did try to travel around like muggles did.

I remember staying at muggle hotels, with me and Tori watching television when we weren't out," she paused as Harry's eyes widened.

"You've watched muggle television?" Harry asked.

"Of course I did, silly! I miss watching Bugs Bunny and that inane Coyote on Saturday Mornings with my sis. Plus it was fun watching other cartoon as well. That's why my family is likely the only pureblood family with a television at home. It's magically powered, of course, but we found a way for it to work. Dad had to beg Uncle David to tell us how they did it in North America. I heard that most wizarding families in Canada have a telly at home.

But anyways, all those tours in Europe really taught me more about life without magic than anything I learned in Muggle Studies. That class is a joke."

"Tell me about it. From what I've seen, lots of Wizarding families have little idea on how to dress on muggle streets, let alone understand stuff like telephones and airplanes..."

"So Harry, how does an airplane like this one work?" Daphne asked.

"Well..." He decided to show a trick that one of his primary school teacher used to explain how planes fly. He took out a small notepad that he had bought in a stationary store two days before the flight began, where he also got pens, pencils, and a notebook for writing. He ripped out one page very neatly, and held it by one edge in front of him. He gently blew over the top of the page, and watched Daphne's fascinated expression as the far edge of the paper started to rise up and fluttered. Daphne's intelligent mind clicked and she quickly understood how that demonstration was related to how the wings on their aircraft helped lift the metal bird into the air. Then, after a though, she gave Harry a sultry look.

"So, Harry, if you blow over me, will I get a rise like that paper?" She cheekily asked. She got her intended response, as Harry started to blush slightly and tenderly gave Daphne a kiss. Sirius made a fake cough and quickly looked elsewhere as the pair decided to snog deeply after folding up the armrest separating their seats.

After a few minutes, they pulled away and, noticing that the three friends in front of them were looking back towards the pair, both blushed deep red and looked at opposite directions, leading to humoured snorts from Neville, and giggles from Tracy and Hermione. At that time, the chief flight attendant announced that the first movie would be on, and the cabin lights dimmed as "Toy Story" began.

For Harry, Daphne and Hermione, it was quite fascinating to see the other two teens and Sirius watching the TV screen just ahead of their seats. They clearly were confused by how it all worked, but they were completely taken in by the story playing out.

Hermione was surprised at how detailed the 3D animation was, especially since it was a recent innovation in moviemaking. Then again, she still harboured some disgruntlement against television, as she missed watching Doctor Who. She had watched the final two seasons of the show, which had Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Incarnation of the Doctor before it was cut by BBC executives, earning her smouldering hatred of the BBC.

Daphne was snuggled up to Harry, both wearing headphone and listening as Woody accidentally pushed Buzz out of the window in Andy's Room. Sirius was quite bemused by his godson and Daphne as they watched the movie closely together.

A similar scene had Tracy and Neville watching the movie snuggled up to each other. Hermione was too concentrated on the movie to make any comments.

The movie continued through, with the passenger on board gasping, cheering, laughing, crying, and expressing so many emotions as the story continued. When it finally ended, there was applause from the passengers, and some cheering. By then, it was almost time for dinner, and Hermione started to look ill. She had one bad experience with airplane food, and she hoped that this airline didn't repeat that.

Author Note: All references to Bugs Bunny and Wile E Coyote were inspired by the Lion Tamer, also by munkeymaniac.

Doctor Who is owned by the BBC, and Toy Story is Owned by Pixar.


	5. Chapter 4: Enroute, Part II

Author's preface: Thank you all for reading this story and reviewing it. It is my first time writing a story on this site, so thanks everyone!

This chapter is dedicated to the memory of defunct Canadian Airlines which, by many accounts, was far superior to Air Canada.

Anyways... On to the story

* * *

><p>Hermione had only one thought as she saw the flight attendants wheel out the meal cart from the galley, <em>I'm going to be sick<em>. A few summers back, she had the misfortune of eating what was supposed to be breaded "chicken" and vegetables with potato "fries" on the side. Needless to say, she developed an aversion to anything that smelled like airplane food.

The others were more inclined for dinner. Harry was curious to see what was on the menu. After all this was his first flight in an airplane. He could hear Hermione starting to mutter and felt her tense up as the meal cart slowly went down the aisle. Everyone had placed their tray table to the horizontal position.

Fortunately for Hermione, Canadian Airlines had a reputation of good service, unlike that other Airline in Canada. When the cart arrived, the flight attendant cheerfully asked what Hermione's row.

"Hello, would you like chicken or beef?"

Neville decided to be the first to choose. "Chicken, please."

The flight attendant took out the tray with the meal and placed it at this tray. The tray had a sealed cup of orange juice, a dinner roll, a small salad, desert, and the cutlery needed. He removed the tin foil covering the main course and found out his selection. It was a succulent-looking chicken and vegetable fettuccine alfredo. Hermione was surprised that there was little to no "airplane food" smell and her spirits lifted up.

Tracy ordered the chicken as well, and Hermione also decided to play safe and ordered the chicken. Soon the three teens were tearing into their pastas.

When it came to the next row, Daphne picked the Chicken, while the other two picked the beef. The beef turned out to be a hearty beef stew mixed with vegetables and potato mash. When Harry tried the food, he was surprised to find that it wasn't as bad as he feared. It wouldn't win culinary awards, but neither would it lead to a quick trip to the lavatory. As they ate, he and Daphne started to share their meals, feeding each other, trying the other's meal, and enjoying the moment.

As the flight attendants started to take the empty meal trays, the TV screens started to play Goldeneye, the latest James Bond Film. However, the teens were starting to feel a little tired, even though it was half way through the 8 hour flight. Tracy and Neville both reclined their seats and watched the film, with Tracy snuggling Neville. Harry and Daphne also reclined their seats and also watched the film quietly together. Sirius was asleep; Daphne had quickly silenced the wrongly accused ex-Auror's loud snoring.

After the film finished, the two couples had a light nap while Hermione decided to read up on a book provided by Daphne's father, Cyrus. It was a small booklet on the Canadian Charter of Magical Rights and Freedoms, which was published in 1982 at around the same time as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of the Constitution Act.

* * *

><p>Harry woke up, with Daphne's head on his right shoulder. He decided to look out the window when he saw something odd outside. It was a jet fighter of sorts, seemingly escorting the Boeing 747. Painted a brilliant white with black highlights, it had a peculiar delta wing shape, with two engines that surprisingly did not emit any flames. On the forward section of the right engine, there were two letters and three numbers painted in black on the white panelling. Harry now wondered what "RL" and "206" meant. The letters and numbers were also separated by a roundel: a Blue Ring surrounding a white circle with a red maple leaf in the center. Harry looked around, and was surprised to see that no one looking outside seemed to notice the fighter jet, like it wasn't there. After a few moments it sped off rapidly, yet there was no background noise other than the airliner's own engines.<p>

After another half hour, everyone was awake, with Hermione frantically getting everyone to fill out Canadian Customs Forms that had been passed out by the flight attendants as the plane overflew Quebec, as the TV displays and projection screen showed.

Finally, it was almost time to land, with the flight attendants making sure all seats were up and the trays folded in. The Pilot announced that the landing time should be at 5:20 PM Local time. The teens all buckled their seatbelts, with Sirius waking up just as the seatbelt signs were switched back on. Harry watched outside as the airplane slowly descended down. He looked right and saw Daphne looking a little nervous. He held her hand, making her blush slightly but also smile at Harry. Harry and Daphne then looked out the window as the plane passed through a light cloud cover. They could see many houses, highways, and a few office buildings as the plane soared over the metropolitan area of Toronto. The flaps and slats were now deployed on both wings, and the airplane banked right. Aiming to align with runway 06 Left.

The plane went on final approach, with the flaps now fully extended and landing gear down. The airport was visible, with almost a hundred aircraft at the largest passenger airport in Canada. The plane flared up, and Harry saw the runways beneath the plane. There was a rumble as the main landing gear met asphalt. The plane leveled off and the nose wheel touched down, as spoilers and engine thrust reversers were deployed, slowing down the aircraft rapidly. A few more seconds and the plane was mostly slowed down to taxiing speed and headed off the runway towards Terminal 2.

Harry James Potter, Daphne Queenie Greengrass, Hermione Jeane Granger, Neville Robert Longbottom, Tracy Marie Davis, and Sirius Orion Black have finally arrived in Canada.

* * *

><p>AN: I need some feedback on this question: Should Canadian schools have houses like Hogwarts or be unified like Beauxbatons. If you have the time, Please PM me with your thoughts. Thank you so much!

According to JK Rowling there are about 3,000 wizards in Britain, which I honestly think is really small. If the population is that minuscule, which would mean the Hogwarts should have around 280 students in the school. Perhaps the bias of many British Purebloods against muggleborns and half-bloods made many non-pureblood wizards to return to the muggle world or flee to North America.


	6. Chapter 5: Operation Ackbar

Author`s note: I must apologize for the boringness of the previous chapter. To compensate for that here is something different

Warning: Chapter is rated M for Gore and Violence. Viewer's discretion advised.

* * *

><p><em>"It's a Trap!"-Admiral Ackbar, Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi.<em>

4:40 PM Local Time

Ottawa, Ontario

A military officer dressed in the old uniform of the Royal Canadian Air Force entered the Parliament buildings of Canada carrying a black leather messenger bag. The only marking on the bag was a red maple leaf with a white "M" stencilled in the center of the leaf. Without anyone noticing, he enters a non-descript door that is seemingly ignored by everyone, finding himself in a small elevator room with a panel of buttons and a palm scanner. After placing his hand the scanner and waiting for a green light to shine, he pressed a button and felt as the elevator descended.

Far underground, he exited the elevator and head down a short hall way. Hanging off the ceiling was a Canadian Flag which he saluted as he walked through a doorway and arrived at the massive entrance of the Department of Magical Affairs. About the size of a muggle high school gym, there were many corridors leading to different offices and divisions of Canada's magical government. Without stopping to marvel at a massive sculpture of a fierce looking bear in the center of the hall, he headed down a corridor, passing by several political suits and government staff before entering at a conference room.

The Canadian Minister of Magic, Winifred Simpson, the Chief of the Canadian Forces Magical Operations and Defense Command, Major General Maurice Leblanc, and the head of the Canadian Magical Intelligence Service, Dr. Luther Baird, were at the table, teleconferencing with a Colonel who was the commanding officer of the 1st Special Service Force. The officer entering the room saluted, before approaching the table and opening his bag. He handed over a folder labelled "top secret" and quickly exited the room.

The Major General opened up the folder and took out an air force reconnaissance report that just arrived from CFB Rockcliffe. He passed the intelligence report to the other two wizards, and waited until they were finished.

"Colonel, looks like the reports are accurate. The navigator on RL-206 detected two areas on the 747 with magical wards. Based on the intercepted flight manifest, the area near the wing is where Mr. Potter and his companions are sitting. The other area must be the tangos. That flight manifest had six seats reserved by a Mr. Riddle. I think we all know what that means."

The general heard a low growl from the other end of the phone line.

"Damn it, I knew Riddle would be trying to take down Potter. They'll need to get to safety as soon as they arrive at the gate. We can't really apprehend them in the aircraft or in the muggle areas of Pearson. Doctor?" The Colonel spoke with a British accent.

The intelligence chief spoke in a severe, determined tone. "Colonel Greengrass, get your men geared up right the hell now and apparate to the airport ASAP. Full concealment, Terrorist Intercept ROE. I'm sending the intel to the Aurors' Pearson detachment, now. Minister, do we have a go?"

The Minister took a moment to breathe deep and think. Then she made her choice.

"Yes, I am authorizing Operation Ackbar. Colonel, try to get a prisoner if you can but your main priority is protecting Potter and his group. Godspeed, Colonel."

"Confirmed, Operation Ackbar is a go. Can't wait to see how my niece is doing."  
>Everyone smiled at that before the line was cut. Dr. Baird took the handset and dialled the head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Aurors.<p>

* * *

><p>5:35 PM Local time<p>

Toronto Pearson Airport, Terminal 2

Harry and his group were among the last to leave their aircraft. They walked out of the gate, looking around in the modern Canadian airport. Sirius, still disguised with glamour charms, led the group, following the rest of the passengers.

As they entered a long hallway, Harry felt something was wrong as he noticed six darkly dressed people who were sitting on a nearby bench, giving shifty looks at the five teens and their "chaperone". Harry's attention was interrupted by Sirius, who pointed out a set of doubles doors that were seemingly ignored by the other passengers, with a sign above the doors simply labelled "Magical Arrivals". They went through the doors and found themselves in another hallway. This hallway was now full of travellers, with some holding out wands and donned in very non-muggle clothing. Harry saw a family speaking French, with two girls donned in the uniform of Beauxbatons. They saw Harry and pointed at him excitedly to their parents, who briefly looked shocked, recognizing the boy-who-lived before dragging their daughters down the hall. Other wizards and witches, some clearly from Asia, some from Africa, as well as groups of Americans passed Harry's group, who had stopped to look at everyone before following the crowds to immigration.

The immigration room was massive, with 6 booths where Immigration Officials were processing the arrivals. There was already a significant line up taking up half of the room, so Harry and his companions approached the end of the line up. However, Harry suddenly heard a British-accented shout that made his spine chill. The chattering among the passengers stopped and everyone looked at the teenage boy who repeatedly survived one of the most frightening dark lords in recent history.

"POTTER! It's over! Turn around and surrender or your friends gets it."

He complied and turned around, seeing who that ordered his surrender. It was that group who glared malevolently at Harry and his friends after arrival. They had their wands out, all with murder in their eyes. The leader, a tall, blond twenty something old wizard, smirked evilly at Harry as he pointed his wand at the boy, exposing the dark mark on his right forearm. Harry tried to reason with him, though he knew it would fail.

"You don't want to do this."

"Oh hell, I do. After I'm through with you, your girlfriend will wish she died with you. Ave..."

Suddenly, two puffs of sound rang out was followed by two red spots appearing on the chest of the young Death Eater. The man froze, turning pale briefly before he suddenly raised his wand. Then, his head erupted, with the remains landing on his fellow Death Eaters. A second wizard, this one with vicious looking hair and blood-red eyes, screamed in fury and started to rush at Harry, only to have multiple bullets from an unknown source perforate his body. His bloodied and riddled body stumbled on the floor and never got up.

The other four, though somewhat shocked by the sudden deaths of their comrades, started to wildly fire hexes and curses, forcing everyone to take cover, except for Harry, Daphne, Hermione, Neville, Tracy and Sirius. Without a word, Harry's wand suddenly lit up and a powerful shield charm was erected, forming a bright wall between the Death Eaters and the crowd now in a panic. Several hexes and curses fired by the evil wizards were absorbed readily by the shield, making a brilliant light show. Harry's green eyes suddenly lit up like emeralds with a fury like no other. He roared "STUPFEY!" that sent a ball of pure red energy that streaked through the shield towards another Death Eater. Instead of simply stunning the Death Eater, it threw the man backwards and smashed him into a wall, hard.

Daphne, emboldened by Harry's actions, shouted "Diffindo!" and sent the charm at another Death Eater, severing his wand hand which fell unceremoniously to the floor. He screamed in pain before Neville sent a body-bind charm to secure him from escaping. Sirius sent the banishment charm at the only female death eater, who was attempting to escape. She was pushed forwards and fell to the floor with a bone-shattering crunch. The sole remaining dark wizard panicked and attempted to escape. Then, he was tackled to the ground, by several figures under disillusionment charms. They revealed themselves as uniformed police officers, who almost resembled muggle police except for the wands held in their hands. Harry and his group could only stare as the four surviving Death eaters were either dragged or levitated away by the Aurors.

Then a cough made the teens and Sirius turn towards two more men who disillusioned themselves.

One was donned in Special Forces tactical gear, with armoured vest, kneepads, and Kevlar helmet, shouldering his Heckler and Koch MP5 Submachine gun. Instead of a pistol, he had a thin leather holster, a wand neatly held inside. His face was concealed by a balaclava and aviator sunglasses.

The other man was quite intimidating. Heavily built, with a severe haircut, he towered over the teens. Harry believed the man must have been a professional quidditch beater in his youth. His salt-and-pepper close-cut hair belied his surprisingly youthful visage; his deep brown eyes looked like they could bore holes through concrete, his piercing glance now looking directly at Harry. He was also donned in a tactical uniform, with an armored vest, and kneepads. Unlike the other soldier, he intentionally did not conceal his face, and donned a rifle green beret instead of a helmet. He holstered his custom semi-auto pistol, his wand also held nearby. His severe expression suddenly softened and he gave a wide smile.

"Daphie, my dear?"

Daphne suddenly gave a cheerful squeal as she ran to the man to give a very tight hug.

"Uncle Danny!"

"Oh my dear Daphie. You're all grown up! I remember when you were a wee little one. I'm so glad to see you, after all these years!"

As Daphne pulled away with a smile and tears of joy streaming down her face, the Officer now turned towards Harry and a look of recognition went across his face.

"Ah...and here's the lucky man who caught her attention: Harry Potter."

He saluted Harry.

"Colonel Daniel Greengrass at your service. Her father, Cyrus had written to me about you two prior to the flight. I must say, you, my niece, and your friends did extremely well today. Sorry about the mess, but at least you made sure no one else got injured. Well done!"

He glanced at the man standing next to Harry, before grinning at the convicted ex-Auror.

"Well, well, well...Sirius Black. Nice work with your disguise, by the way."

Sirius looked indignant

"How did you...?"

"Comes with my training. Now, since we've dealt with the baddies, let's get a move on and head home for dinner."

The six Brits quickly passed through immigration control, the stunned immigration officers quickly stamping their passports and allowed them through. The other passengers cheered, grateful at Harry and his group's actions to protect everyone from the dark wizards.

They quickly retrieved their bags from a small carousel, and also retrieved their pets, which all fared quite well on the eight hour flight. They exited the terminal, and then they saw their ride.

It was a six wheeled monster, based on a very successful muggle vehicle design by MOWAG in Switzerland. It was designed as an armoured personnel carrier for the Canadian Forces, though there were a few enhancements made, namely the use of magically powered electronic gear, magical charms, the infusion of dragon-skin extract into the armour, and a magically extended interior. The rear door opened, and the British arrivals saw that inside, their ride could fit the six of them, their luggage and pets, and then some.

There was a small room for luggage or supplies near the front of the vehicle. Following the room was two rows of well cushioned benches, with 7 safety harnesses per side. They wheeled their suitcases in, placing them in a room in the vehicle, and sat down, with their pets' cages now sitting on the floor in the middle of the passenger compartment.

Just after everyone sat down, with Colonel Greengrass sitting next to his distant niece, the vehicle suddenly jerked forwards and their wild ride began.


	7. Chapter 6: The Canadian Greengrasses

The ride in the armoured personnel carrier lasted around 20 minutes, with the teens in the six-wheeled armoured vehicle almost ready to puke. It was worse than the Knight Bus back home, as there were no windows, meaning that sharp turns and sudden stops came without warning, the harnesses being the only thing that kept them from flying around in the APC. During the ride, Colonel Daniel Greengrass seemed unfazed by the wild driving, calmly removing his tactical gear and taking a drink from a canteen. He was now wearing a tight black T-shirt and his dark grey tactical trousers, and took out a pen and paper to jot down notes; he would have to head to headquarters after dinner for a full debriefing and he needed to give a thorough after action report.

Mercifully, the ride was finally over. The vehicle opened its rear door, and Colonel Greengrass was already out of his harness, helping his niece stand up after the harrowing journey. Harry managed to get out of his seat without any trouble, though he did stumble in the vehicle until his sense of balance returned. Sirius was now carrying his usual grin, the glamour charms faded away while on that psychotic ride from the airport. After a few more minutes, everyone else managed to pull themselves together and headed to front of the cabin to retrieve their luggage.

After dragging out their bags and freeing their pets from their cages, the teens now looked carefully at Greengrass Residence.

Harry was surprised to see how much bigger the houses were in North American than in Britain. It was a white, two-story house, almost identical to nearby houses in the muggle neighbourhood. There was a two car garage in the front, and it had a beautiful green trimming along the gutters, eaves, and windows. It was a far cry from the cramped home of the Dursleys at 4 Privet Drive, Surrey, England, and Harry knew that this house was bound to be bigger on the inside.

Daniel went the front of the armoured transport that carried everyone from the airport and spoke to the driver of the vehicle. The rear door was retracted and soon the vehicle sped off, heading to base, disappearing just before the intersection down the street. Daniel looked back to his British guests and cheerfully said, "Welcome to Barrie, Ontario."

He led them to the front door, taking out his wand to disarm the protective charms and wards around the house. Daniel went ahead and opened the door. Dinner was apparently cooking, as the smell of hearty food wafted through the air.

"DADDY!"

Two children, a girl and a boy, ran out screaming as they jumped at their dad. The girl was about 10, with long dirty blond hair and brilliant blue eyes. The boy was younger, with light brown hair, bluish-brown eyes, and bore a wicked smile as the two dragged their father into the house to the laughter of Harry and his friends. Sirius was promptly on the floor laughing at the tough-looking Colonel getting pushed around by his little ones.

The entryway made an impression on the guests. It had a tiled floor, with maple furniture and an impressive grandfather clock decorating the room. There was a set of oak doors near the entrance way that led to a massive cloak room as well as a white marble staircase leading up to the upper floors. The room itself had doorways leading to the kitchen, dining room, entertainment den, and the living room, which was where the kids were dragging their poor father. Hedwig seemed to know her way and flew in after them. Crookshanks followed Hermione, looking around for trouble.

The living room had a sofa and two loveseats, as well as two reclining chairs. They were arranged in a semicircle around a large cedar coffee table and the large brick fireplace, which had a log inside burning warmly. Another door led to the dining room and the kitchen, which still had many wonderful smell emanating from inside.

Daniel played around with his two youngest children for a few minutes before getting them to sit down on his lap. He gestured for everyone to take a seat before heading upstairs to fully change. Another teenager, about the same age as Harry and his friends, came through the door from the kitchen, and was surprised as to who the guests were.

Harry and Daphne took one of the loveseats, snuggling with each other, while Tracy and Neville took the other. Sirius and Hermione sat on the sofa, as the oldest of the Greengrass children cheerfully plopped down next to Hermione.

He had a charming face, with a light brunette hair, intense hazelnut eyes, and a mischievous grin. He brought out his hand and shook Hermione's gently.

"Hello, I am Samuel Greengrass, though everyone calls me Sam. It is a pleasure to meet you, madam." He greeted with a confident, flirtatious voice.

Hermione blushed slightly, as her friends giggled or chuckled at Samuel's advances.

Daniel made a cough to get everyone's attention.

"So, again welcome to our humble abode. This is my daughter Melody" he pointed at the dirty-blond haired tyke. And the little devil here is Richard."

A woman wearing an apron over her shirts and khaki shorts came out from the kitchen.

"And this is my lovely wife Michelle."

Michelle Greengrass was nearly as tall as Daniel, with flowing blond hair that fell down her shoulders, her face almost angelic with sky blue eyes. She gave a quick kiss with the husband, who smiled at his lovely wife. Harry suddenly felt a pull towards Mrs. Greengrass, which he and Neville resisted easily, unlike his Godfather who simply started to drool as he stated at the beautiful woman, leading to Harry to slap him on the back of the head. Everyone laughed as Sirius turned around and looked at Harry incredulously before smiling mischievously.

Michelle seemed to understand and lightly chuckled at Sirius Black's antics. She spoke with a faint French-Canadian accent, though it was barely noticable.

"Don't worry, Harry Potter. I'm an eighth Veela on my mother's side. That," she pointed to Sirius's still dazed expression, "happens a lot to me. Danny here was the only guy in school who didn't drool at me on sight, hence why I decided to marry him once I graduated." She then gave another peck on the Colonel's cheek, which blushed red as the Colonel half-seriously pleaded, "Not in front of everyone, Elle."

Hermione looked curious and commented, "An eighth Veela?"

"My half-Veela grandmother fled France with her family to Quebec during the War of 1897."

Harry was confused.

"The War of 1897?"

Michelle looked surprised

"Don't they teach you that in Hogwarts?"

"Our History of Magic classes were terrible; even if I paid attention to our boring teacher, who is a ghost by the way, I never saw it in the textbooks or Hermione's notes, either."

"Huh, it looks like their education system was worse than I thought," Michelle muttered.

Harry then formally introduced everyone, though it seemed that Daniel already knew the faces and names. The Colonel had reviewed secret documents relating on the incident in the British Ministry of Magic, and knew that Fudge was censoring the details of the event. In any case, one CMIS operator within the British Ministry had sent details of what really happened in there as well as a list of names of the students that helped stop Riddle's forces.

Daniel and Michelle were a bit surprised to see Harry tenderly hold their niece's hand, as the two teens sat closely on their loveseat. Daphne's aunt and uncle shared knowing smiles, causing Harry and Daphne to blush.

"Now, dinner should be ready in a few minutes, so I will see you all very soon." Michelle gave a light kiss to Daniel before heading back to the kitchen.

The dining hall was magnificent, with a crystal chandelier hanging over a long table that could seat about 12 people. To the surprise of the guests, a rather healthy and smiling house-elf donned in muggle clothing and an apron was helping Mrs. Greengrass carry dinner from the kitchen. After placing a large casserole and a plate full of barbecued ribs, she introduced herself as Leslie to Harry and company before snapping her fingers, disappearing to what Mrs. Greengrass explained was a social gathering for house-elves.

Dinner was pleasant, with Neville and Harry claiming that it might be even better than the food at Hogwarts, which led to chuckles along the table. For Harry, it was definitely a far cry from the Dursley's usual fare. After dinner, everyone moved to the entertainment room, which also had a set of sofas and love seats. This room was centered on a magically powered big-screen TV and surround sound system, which was Colonel Greengrass's pride and joy, as well as a magically powered "computer" running Windows 95.

Harry and his friends chatted warmly with the Greengrasses, retelling the events of the previous years at Hogwarts, while listening to Daniel, Sam, and Michelle about life in Canada. The Brits were surprised to hear that house-elves and werewolves were protected by the Canadian Charter of Magical Rights and Freedoms. House elves were given far more rights than their British counterparts, such as a minimum wages, adequate, housing, as well as protection form abuse. Werewolves were provided special medications to help maintain their minds during the full moon, and there were dedicated places for werewolves to stay at during such times.

Further, there was legislation against the discrimination of non-purebloods. Uttering "mudblood" was in fact a hate crime under the Canadian Magical Criminal Code, which made everyone wish that Draco Malfoy was around so he could be arrested for his bigotry. Squibs were treated with respect, free to choose a career either in the non-magical world or in the magical world, with quite a number serving in the Canadian Magical Armed Forces.

There are over 2 million magically gifted people in Canada, which was among the largest magical populations in the world. Over a fifth of those lived in the magically hidden city of Silvermoon, deep within the Northwest Territories. However, the vast majority of Magical Canadians lived either in warded neighbourhoods in the major Muggle cities, or, like the Greengrasses, lived comfortably next to non-magical Canadians. 215 magical schools existed in the country, educating students from ages 11 to 18. Many were located in remote areas of the country, though there were 17 such schools within Silvermoon, 25 on the city's outskirts, and a few hidden within the outskirts of Toronto and Vancouver.

After an hour or so, Colonel Greengrass then answered his mobile phone, which folded out like a clam shell.

"Hello, Colonel Greengrass here...yes, sir...yes, sir, I'll use the floo...alright, I'll be arriving in a few minutes. See you soon, sir." He ended the call and looked at the group.

"Sorry, Everyone, but I need to go. I need to take care of my debriefing and some paperwork.

Leslie has already prepared your rooms upstairs. The girls are going to sleep in the main guestroom, while Harry, Sirius, and Neville are getting the other guestroom; all your belonging and your pets are already in your rooms. Breakfast is at 7:00ish, so please don't stay up late. I'll see you all tomorrow." Kissing his wife, he left for the living room, no doubt to use the Floo network to get to headquarters.

After he left, Mrs. Greengrass checked her watch, and quickly grabbed Melody and Richard, excusing herself as she got the tykes upstairs for bedtime. Sam stayed with the Brits, who were curious about Daphne's Canadian relatives.

"How come you've never mentioned you had family in Canada?" Harry delicately asked.

"Harry, I last saw my uncle was when I was about 2ish. They were visiting my home for vacation, and Uncle Danny did tell dad how make that magically-made TV for my family."

Tracy asked, "Was your dad and Mr. Greengrass close?"

"Not really, they did send a few letters every month or so, just to keep in touch. Dad said that he just hated all the bigotry in Britain, so after he graduated from Hogwarts, he promptly took a flight to Canada."

Harry asked Sam about what his dad work, only to hear that the Colonel worked in some classified part of the military, and rarely mentioned anything about work.

After some more small talk, it was 10 PM and Sam turned on the TV, just as the intro to the 10 PM Wizarding News began.

"_Tonight: Terrorist Attack Stopped_."

A high ranking Auror appears and says, "_We are very lucky that no civilians were killed_."

_Canadian soldiers and the unlikeliest of help defeats a planned attack led by Tom Marvolo Riddle_."

Other headlines appear before:

"_And: Julian Ricardo reports on the life and trials of Harry James Potter, the man who some say may be the key to defeating Tom Riddle."_

"_CWC National News. From the Canadian Wizard News Center, here is Peter Walker."_

"_Good Evening. Words of gratitude and shock came from the Terrorist Attack earlier this evening in Toronto. 2 terrorists were killed on the scene, with another dying in hospital and three more now in custody. We have reports tonight that the terrorist group known as the Death Eaters was responsible for the attack. We begin tonight in Pearson International Airport with a report by Wallace Finch"_

"_It happened in a matter of minutes. At 5:45 PM, Six "Death Eaters", followers of the Dark wizard and terrorist Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr., the man known as Lord Voldemort and You-know-who in the British Public, attempted to attack the immigration control booths at Toronto Pearson Airport. The likely target: Harry James Potter, the student at the Hogwarts School Witchcraft and Wizardry who survived the original attacks of Tom Riddle as an infant and reportedly faced Riddle on several occasions within the Hogwarts. With him were several classmates of that school as well as Sirius Black, an ex-Auror and the man in the center of one of the most controversial cases of imprisonment at Azkaban Prison. _

_The Department of Magical Affairs has stated that shortly before the attack, military intelligence had a minor warning of attacks and had stationed specialist personnel at the airport, working in concert with member of the RCMA to apprehend the individuals. The two dead were confirmed shot by Canadian soldiers, while three of the others were taken out by Harry Potter and his associates. The last was taken down by RCMA officers, who have taken the three surviving members for questioning. _

_It is the first time that Tom Riddle has sent his followers across the Atlantic since 1979, when members of a sleeper cell made a daring attack on CFB James Bay, killing 10 soldiers and 6 civilians before they were found and killed. Since then, all Canadian airport security staff has vigorously screened out followers of Riddle or other "dark lords." There is no word yet from the British Ministry of Magic. Wallace Finch, CWC News, Toronto._"

They watched the program up to before the documentary on Harry, and soon they were headed upstairs. Surprisingly for Harry, he had a very peaceful sleep. So many troubles were left in Britain, chief among them a certain Dark Lord and his minions, and truly felt safe in the Great White North.


	8. Chapter 7: Poutine and Goblins

June 29, 1996

6:50 AM Eastern Daylight Saving Time

Harry woke up to the smell of breakfast wafting from the Greengrass' kitchen. He took his time getting out of bed and readying himself for today's trip to Toronto.

Living with Daphne's distant relatives was very peaceful for Harry. There were no abusive relatives that made his summers a living hell in "Durzkaban". There were no Dark Lords on the same continent out for his blood. The Canadian Ministry (or rather Department) of Magic didn't go out to discredit him and his allies like the Fudge government did. And frankly, there was little to no fawning by Canadian Wizards and Witches over Harry Potter as the "boy-who-lived."

* * *

><p>For the first couple of days, Harry and his friends simply followed the advice from Professor Dumbledore: to enjoy life. There was a small park and a library nearby, which they usually visited in the first few days. Hermione had a field day during the visits to the library, often grabbing multiple books from racks to catch up on non-Magical topics. Sam was also around, enjoying the summer with the Brits. After Harry and his friends arrived at his place, Sam had phoned his best friend in school, Chris Dryden, about the guests who were in his house. To say that Chris was shocked would be an understatement. He heard his friend fall out of a chair before shouting on the phone, shouting that Sam must be delusional. Of course, once Sam had gotten Harry on the phone, Chris freaked out before the line was cut.<p>

Harry and Daphne spent much of the time together. Seemingly free from all the pressures in Britain, Harry finally had the chance to be himself without the spectre of doom just around the corner. He and Daphne spent many hours just talking like other teenagers, getting time to really connect with each other. Tracy and Neville also spent the two days by bonding together. Neville started to help Mrs. Greengrass with some gardening, using his skills in herbology with zest. Sirius spent much of his time either watching the news or talking with Colonel Greengrass when he was at home.

* * *

><p>Harry came out of the boys' guest room just as Daphne left the girls' room. They shared a quick kiss and hug before heading down the marble stairs and into the kitchen. There, Michelle and Leslie, the elf, were cooking up a scrumptious breakfast for everyone. To the amusement of Harry and Daphne, Hermione was already sitting at the family dining table (as opposed to the formal dining table in the adjacent room), eating bacon and omelette while reading the morning edition of the National Post. Sirius was channeling Ron Weasley, wolfing down his breakfast as well as inhaling fresh cups of coffee. The couple had settled down at the table and started to eat just as Tracy and Neville came in snogging the daylights out of each other. Everyone in the kitchen laughed loudly before returning to their meals, leaving the pair blushing hot red. After the rest of the house was downstairs eating, Leslie apparated away to other duties as Michelle sat down and started to discuss the plans for the day.<p>

The Colonel was already off for work, so the rest of the family plus Harry and his group were going on a trip. Today, they were heading to Baldwin Street, a magically hidden street in Downtown Toronto which housed all the magical shops used by wizards in the region. Like Diagon Alley in London, the street reportedly had many magical stores as well as a branch of Gringotts Bank. As there was a gateway to muggle Toronto via a Wizarding Pub and Grill, the teens could then shop for clothing at one of the many shopping malls in the largest city of Canada. Of course, Baldwin Street was nothing compared to the Wizard Metropolis of Silvermoon.

According to Mrs. Greengrass, Silvermoon was founded as a permanent joint settlement by Inuit and Cree wizards in 1471. Many magical immigrants were told of a city full of wizards, and many were soon drawn to one of the few Wizard-only cities in the world. By 1867, a sizable city had been established and Silvermoon continued to grow, with two branches of Gringotts formed in the city and many schools built to accommodate the growing population. They now have a number of muggle-based elementary schools, taught by squibs, to provide children with a basic muggle education prior to magical education.

* * *

><p>The teens arrived in the Kodiak Saloon just after 9:00 AM via the floo network. Michelle had joined them there after using the network to drop off her two youngest children with her sister in Montreal, Quebec.<p>

Like the Leaky Cauldron, the Kodiak was a magically hidden pub and inn that also acted as an access point to Baldwin Street. The pub had a less ominous atmosphere than the Cauldron, with better lighting and a giant moose head hanging on a wall. A few customers were inside, either sitting at small round tables or at the bar counter, chatting quietly amongst themselves. At the back was an outline of a double door, though there were no knobs or hinges present. Mrs. Greengrass took out her wand and taped several points on the two door shapes and stepped back. The outlines flashed brightly as the two "doors" opened up, giving Sirius Black and the five British teenagers their first glimpse of Toronto's Baldwin Street.

The sun was shining brightly over the magical shopping area. Wizards and witches were walking up and down the pedestrian-only street, going about their daily lives. Unlike the long-robed or eccentrically clothed British Wizards that prowled Diagon Alley, the Canadian Wizards were quite modern and tasteful in dress and fashion. Wearing shorts, jeans, t-shirts, and sunglasses, one could easily mistake the wizards and witches for muggles out for Saturday shopping. The only discernible differences were the wands being carried around by the people moving about on the street, as well as a few impeccably dressed wizards moving around, including some in Victorian-era cloaks and top hats, a few in formal business suits, and even a rather quirky looking man in tweed, a bow-tie, and scarlet fez.

There were the usual broom shops, owl emporium, potions, bookstore, and a number of restaurants, including an ice cream parlour, lining the sides of the street. However, the architecture of Baldwin Street was a mix of 1900s and modern day styles. Most shops had glass storefronts, some just next to ancient looking wand stores. There was also an athletics store, which sold various sports goods and clothing, a dedicated school uniform shop, as well as a small recruitment office for the Canadian Magical Armed Forces. As well, there seemed to be significantly more patriotism shown by the store owners as most shops had at least one Canadian flag flying on flagpoles or hanging over their storefronts; there was never a union flag hanging over Daigon Alley.

Harry and his friends simply stood in the center of the street appreciating all the sights. The street was absolutely spotless, uncrowded, and quite "comfortable". A few passers-by had noticed the teens and Sirius Black, but it seemed that everyone was respecting Harry's personal space. Many nodded or waved at the teen, but no one approached or chased the "Boy-who-lived" like the ever annoying fanboys and fangirls back home in Britain. Daphne sensed that Harry felt sincere comfort, knowing that at least the Canadians were respectful of her boyfriend. She gave a hug to Harry, who looked back at her with a very happy smile.

They finally moved on after some urging by Mrs. Greengrass, who carried a knowing smile for most of the day. First things first, the Brits needed to visit Gringotts to make sure they could access their bank accounts.

* * *

><p>Gringotts Toronto was situated at a fork in the street, which split into North and South Baldwin Street. As Harry and his companions headed down the street, Harry noticed that there were pairs of uniformed men and women on patrol. Harry learned from Sam Greengrass that they were members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Aurors, the magical sister organization to the muggle RCMP. Unlike the British Aurors, the "Mounties" were armed with semi-automatic pistols and nightsticks, along with their personal wands. They were also equipped with handcuffs, radios, and other equipment carried on their tactical vests and belts. Sam explained that ever since the rumours started about Tom Riddle's return and the resurgence of his terrorist organization, the Department of Magical Affairs started to enhance airport security measures and increased Auror patrols at all wizarding settlements. The incident at Pearson Airport had stepped up the patrols, with a couple or so officers also patrolling in full-tactical gear, armed with sub-machine guns.<p>

The Toronto branch of Gringotts was located in a large brick structure, seemingly taken from the late 1800s. Somewhat crooked, it nowhere as bad as the branch in London, which always seemed like it had just endured an earthquake. The entrance was currently guarded by goblins wielding nasty looking spears, looking intently at every passing wizard or witch with a piercing glare. The inside of the bank was rather...different than the one in Diagon Alley. It was still run by goblins, but it seemed that the bank was a little less archaic than the one in London. goblins worked from modern-looking booths, either writing paper work or processing transactions with clients.

Michelle led the group to a booth, where the goblin on duty looked at the group intently. To Harry's surprise, the goblin banker spoke with a bit less snarling than the ones back home.

"Welcome to Gringotts Toronto, Ma'am. How may I help you?"

Mrs. Greengrass responded, "We wish to inquire about the financial statuses for Mr. Sirius Black, Miss Hermione Granger, Miss Tracy Davis, Mr. Neville Longbottom, Miss Daphne Greengrass, and Mr. Harry Potter."

"Ah, yes."

The goblin took up a modern phone handset.

"We need a bank representative at Booth 14 for the British group...alright, thanks."

The goblin carefully hung up and looked a little more pleasant.

"Don't worry; we already knew you'd be coming through our doors, plus we heard about everyone on the news. Since you are all known to the entirety of Gringotts, we'll be able to make sure you all can use your accounts here in Canada. "

An older goblin, with graying hair and dressed more like the goblins back in Britain, arrived and greeted them rather pleasantly.

"Good morning, my name is Raynorth, Senior manager of Gringotts Toronto. I see that you've all arrived as expected. Follow me, please."

The goblin headed towards a corridor lined with private offices, with the six brits and two Canadians behind him. He stopped at the entrance of a rather large office and gestured everyone in. It had enough seats to fit everyone, and the goblin headed over to his oak desk, which had a computer monitor and printer. As Harry sat, he noticed that the goblin did not use quills and parchment; instead, he had a neat pile of paper and an open container full of pens. Raynorth erected a Goblin privacy ward that Harry could sense from it powerful aura, then started talking.

"I'll start with Mister Harry Potter. As the Bankers in London have mentioned, your banking card can be used to access your trust vault and some of your family's accounts."

"I'm sorry to ask, but may I know how much is exactly in my accounts?"

"Why certainly. Your trust account, which is in Vault 687 in London, is valued at four hundred forty-seven thousand, nine hundred and fifty-one galleons, three sickles, and four knuts. There are also two Family Vaults, 901 and 942, with coins and various items. These two vaults are estimated to contain the value of three million, nine hundred and twenty five thousand, six hundred and ninety-eight galleons, six sickles, and three knuts. You won't have full access of the family vault until 20, but you can withdraw up to 1000 galleons a day from each vault.

As well, your family did have a number of investments. You have a 10 percent share of Firebolt Brooms and a six percent share of Zonkos, not to mention your share of Weasley Wizard Wheezes."

Harry simply stood dumbfounded. He never knew his family was quite well-off, and felt grateful that the Dursleys did not get their hands on his inheritance.

The goblin chuckled. "I may suggest that you could invest in several firms here; the Canadian Wizarding Economy is still on the rise, and you may make quite I bit from such a venture. We can offer to set up something, for a small fee of course," Raynorth grinned.

Harry knew that the goblins would stand to gain financially from an investment deal, but he felt that it was still a good idea to invest a bit.

"Alright, may you please set up some investments in Canada?"

"A pleasure, sir. May I also remind you that all magical and non-magical purchases in Canada are made with the Canadian Dollar which does fluctuate; however, the value usually averages 10.65 Dollars to the Galleon. So, I can truthfully state that you are very financially secured."

The goblin started up his computer and started to type. As he did so, Harry noticed that a scowl was growing on the goblin's face.

"Sir, it appears that there were a few minor withdrawals from those two vaults by Albus Dumbledore. According to the records here, he had withdrawn five hundred galleons annually for the last 10 years or so. It appears that he was given permission to access the vaults by your parents, and permission is given to other families of his Order."

Harry had a sudden rush of anger. Dumbledore may be on his side, but he should not be siphoning money from his family.

"Could you please remove access to the family vaults from everyone except me and Sirius Black? I know Dumbledore had good intentions, but I rather not have so many hands in my pockets, so to speak. Also, I would like to start up a vault in Canada with some money from my vaults. That way, I have some reserves safe from Fudge's hands." Harry thought with exasperation. Sirius Black's account had been partially frozen by the British Ministry of Magic during his imprisonment.

The goblin grinned widely.

"Certainly sir, we will make arrangements as soon as possible."

Raynorth then turned the other Howarts students. He began to type commands on the computer, and took out four plastic cards from a drawer in his desk. One by one, he programmed each card for Daphne, Hermione, Neville and Tracy. After he finished, he passed the cards out.

"As for everyone else, you can access your vaults using these secured banking cards. Under Canadian law, all wizards and witches 15 and above are permitted limited access to their family vaults. As well, we do have contact with muggle banks, so Miss Granger, you can use your card to access your student bank account."

He turned to Black.

"Mister Sirius Black. I'm sorry to say but your bank accounts have been fully frozen under British Magical Laws. We have found a way to get you limited access on that card you received, but please spend discretely, Mr. Black; Gringotts is having some issues with the Fudge Government and we don't need any more trouble over there.

So, are there any other matters that require Gringott's assistance?"

Mrs. Greengrass replied, "None that I know of, Mr. Raynorth. Thank you for your time."

The goblin nodded and gestured them out, "A pleasure meeting you Mr. Potter. May you be victorious against Mr. Tom Riddle."

* * *

><p>Lunch was an interesting affair, with the eight people eating at a small family restaurant named the "Beaver's Table". At Sam's incessant urging, he and Hermione picked his favourite dish, something known as "poutine". Tracy and Neville were curious about the dish and decided to order it as well, with Harry and Daphne also deciding to pick the dish. The two adults decidedly picked less ambitious meals.<p>

Poutine is not for the faint of heart. It is a goop of thick cut fries smothered in brown gravy and fresh cheese curds; however, it tastes absolutely wonderful, despite its rather unappealing look.

The look on Tracy and Neville's faces was priceless. They stared in horror for a couple minutes as the thick, greasy brown gravy and cheese curds dripped and settled over the fries. Daphne figured it was not even close to some of the disgusting dishes she had heard of, including a horrific Finnish dish that her dad once tried: ammonia-flavoured rotting shark, better known as hakarl. Harry simply didn't mind the poutine's appearance, watching as Hermione excitedly grabbed a fork and dug in with Sam into their poutine. Harry forked up a spoonful and took his first bite. He found it quite delicious, and soon he and Daphne also dug in.

After lunch, they decided to head over to Muggle Toronto for the rest of the day before eating out in one of the many restaurants that dotted the streets of Toronto.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Thank you all for the comments so far and I hope that everyone is getting some enjoyment from reading the story. I would also really appreciate some feedback to improve the writing and suggestions on how to continue.<p>

My Apologies if this chapter seems overly wordy, so since it is Canada Day, the next chapter is coming soon. ;)


	9. Chapter 8: Canada Day

A/N: I am very, very sorry for the delay. Without further ado...

* * *

><p>July 1, 1996<p>

"In a time of our greatest need, when all seems lost, when the dark enemy attempts to defile our shores, the Arrows will return and rain fire on our enemies." -a Canadian seer, 1960*

Harry woke up, feeling quite refreshed from a good sleep. Ever since he arrived in Canada, the mental connections with Tom Riddle became very faint, though it seemed that his time spent with Daphne, his godfather, and his close companions caused pain for the "Dark Lord." He smelled the fresh scent of sausages and eggs and saw that Sirius had already went downstairs. Neville was stirring from his bed, so Harry went ahead to the washroom. Harry changed into a light red t-shirt and baggy olive drab shorts before leaving the room.

"Morning, Harry."

"Good Morning, love."

Daphne stepped out of the girls' room, wearing capris, a white shirt, and a mischievous smile as she pulled Harry into her arms and snogged him softly. They held each other for a couple of moments before bulling back, big grins on their faces. Harry gestured down the stairs.

"After you, Daphne."

She gave harry a quick kiss before heading downstairs, followed by her boyfriend. The delicious smell of food wafted from the kitchen, making the pair feel hungrier than before, with the smell of freshly broiled bacon particularly enticing to the young couple. Sirius stood up from the table and gave a hug to both Daphne and his godson, before leading them to the magically lengthened dining table. Hermione was already busy eating, as Leslie was busy cooking while Michelle helped to bring the food to the table. Breakfast comprised of mounds of waffles and sausages drizzled in maple syrup, along with fresh scrambled eggs and juice.

Sam came around a few minutes after Harry and Daphne, wearing a blue t-shirt with a Canadian flag printed on the front. He quickly pulled a chair next to his distant cousin and started to eat, just as Neville and Tracy came in, hand in hand.

"Ready for Canada Day, Harry?" Sam asked.

Harry replied, "As ready as I'll ever be. Then again, it's the first I went to a celebration like this. So what exactly is Canada Day usually like?"

"Canada day, as far as I remember, was about hanging around with family and friends, enjoying the hopefully sunny day, and celebrating Canada's time as a nation. I know it might be a bit hard to understand, since there isn't anything like that back in Britain, other than perhaps the Queen's birthday. Usually we might go to the local park or downtown Toronto to watch fireworks in the evening."

"You guys celebrate with muggles?" Neville asked as he sat down to eat.

"Sure. They may not know magic, but they are fellow Canadians, and no offense, we don't really isolate ourselves from the non-magical world like Europe and Britain does. We do follow the Statute of Secrecy, but other than that we do try to live a lot like everyone else.

Anyways, dad said we going somewhere special for today, and I have a hunch we're going to Silvermoon."

* * *

><p>"Good morning everyone, hope you've enjoyed breakfast."<p>

For the first time, Colonel Daniel Greengrass was seen out of uniform. He was wearing an olive drab t-shirt with a dark green Canadian flag printed on the front, as well as khaki shorts and a pair of mirror-like aviator sunglasses above his brows. Michelle was standing next to him, equally ready for today's festivities.

"Food!"

The two youngest members of the Canadian Greengrass family ran around their parents and quickly sat at the table, forking food from the platters to their smaller plates.

Breakfasted lasted another half hour or so, before the Colonel led everyone to the living room. He held out 5 small Canadian flags, each with a faint blue aura surrounding them.

"These portkeys will get you to Silvermoon through the defensive wards."

Harry raised his eyebrow.

"There are wards over an entire city?"

"Of course there are. Why risk having trouble get inside? Silvermoon has been around for a very, very long time and they have faced a number of dark wizards and beasts attacking the city, so naturally, lots of protection was placed over the city.

Now, everyone grab hold of a flag, tap a wand to it and you'll arrive in the city in no time."

Harry and Daphne held one of the small flags as Harry pulled out his wand, which seemed to cause the flag to glow blue. Harry felt the pull behind his navel just as he tapped his wand on the flag as the scene around him changed. When he came to his senses, he noticed that it was slightly cooler than in the Greengrass residence. Harry was now standing in the midst of the largest wizarding settlement in the western hemisphere.

For being one of the few wizard-only cities in the world, Silvermoon was styled more like a muggle metropolis. A dozen tall skyscrapers towered over the streets in the city, rising to about 40 to 50 stories each, filled with offices or apartment flats. These were surrounded by shorter buildings, some dating from the late 19th century, and others still under construction. Some of the streets were currently closed off to traffic, becoming pedestrian only zones for Canada Day.

A few minutes later, Hermione and Sam, Tracy and Neville, Sirius and Daniel, and Michelle and the two children appeared.

During breakfast it was agreed that everyone would split up into groups of at least one adult and two teens for the day. Sirius would be spending quality time with Harry and Daphne. Colonel Greengrass would be watching over Hermione and Sam, who gave a nervous gulp at being watched by his military dad. Mrs. Greengrass would be watching over Neville and Tracy, as well as Melody and Richard. They went their separate ways, exploring the massive city and taking in the sights and counts of a city celebrating 129 years of Canadian confederation.

* * *

><p>Throughout the day, Harry and Daphne led the way, with Sirius frequency distracted by the local women, both untaken and taken, usually leading to either Harry or Daphne dragging him away with a humoured scowl. Daphne often led Harry to the different stores that lined the streets. Many echoed muggle stores, though a few sold more magically related goods and knick nacks.<p>

At about 5 pm, Sirius, Harry and Daphne found themselves in Hans Ericsson memorial park, a large part next to a large lake on the outskirts of the city. According to locals, the park was named after a 17th century wizard who had died stopping the dark wizard known as the "Slender Mage" from attacking the city. Maple, ash, birch, and oak trees stood tall, providing shade for families enjoying the day. Warming charms over the city and the park allowed such hardwood trees to surviving in the otherwise hostile near-tundra environment. Soon the others arrived, and they headed to a public barbecue that was being hosted by the local fire department.

At 8:00 PM, Harry heard a loud roar that filled the air. Harry felt some chills as the sound reminded him of times past: the roar of a Hungarian Horntail chasing after him during the Tri-Wizards Tournament; the sound of the Hogwarts Express just behind the Weasleys' magical car; the whistling of a rogue bludger that pursued Harry in second year. It sounded like the 747 Harry and his friends flew on, except it was louder and coming towards him.

Then he saw them. Two distant shape in the sky approaching rapidly from the east. The crowds grew excited, with cheering all around. The two shapes gradually turned two very familiar aircraft, one of which Harry saw on the flight that started his journey in Canada. The aircraft were painted a brilliant glossy white; their delta shaped wings proudly displaying the Canadian Roundel, a blue ring surround a white circle with a red maple leaf in the center. The Canadian flag, blazoned as "Gules on a Canadian pale argent a maple leaf of the first," were proudly pointed on the tall tailfins.

Like oversized versions of their namesakes, they flew straight and true, being designed around forty years ago to take down nuclear bombers of the former Soviet Union at the start of the Cold War. A purely Canadian design, it was a source of many a conspiracy theory through the circumstances of their "demise." As the planes approached, they accelerated past the speed of sound with ease. Each plane's twin engines burned a bright blue flame, emitted from their PS-13 Iroquois turbojet engines.

The planes streaked over Harry and Daphne. Hermione looked at the planes, and then closed her eyes, thinking hard, before she opened her eyes in stunned recognition.

"Harry, do you know what those planes are?"

Harry looked at Hermione questioningly.

"Those are Avro Arrows!"

"Avro Arrow, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Yes, they were reportedly all destroyed in the 1960s."

"You are correct Hermione. They are CF-105M Arrows of the Canadian Forces. As for why 'cancelled' and 'scrapped' jets are flying over us...well, that's a story for another day."

At 10:30 PM, the crowds, as well as the Greengrasses and the six Brits, stood alongside the lake shore, waiting before the evening's fireworks display. Barges on the lake lit up as fireworks were launched into the sky. A few exploded in the shapes of animals like a bear, a strange looking bird, an orca, and even a beaver. The show lasted a full half hour, ending with a spectacular firework in the shape of the Canadian flag, lighting up the sky in red and white

At 11:05 PM, the Greengrasses and their guests, exhausted by the day, portkeyed to the front door. Stepping inside, they soon went upstairs for the night. Harry gave a final kiss to Daphne before entering his room and collapsing on top of his bed.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Again, feel free to PM your ideas and suggestions for the story.<p>

*not a real quote; just something once said in a thread on .

* * *

><p>A preview of the Future:<p>

Harry had crouched behind a fallen wall and raised his Diemaco C8A1 Carbine, firing a 3-round burst at an exposed Death Eater. The magically empowered rounds pierced the man, who howled as he fell. Harry heard a loud crack as a sniper round lanced out from Hermione's rifle and disintegrated the head of another death eater. Harry looked through the magically enhanced reflex sight as he dispatched another of Riddle's followers, two rounds striking the man's chest. The report from other rifles continued for a couple of more minutes before it finally died out. Harry sensed that no more Death Munchers were alive, so he stood up.

Harry slung his rifle, wielding his wand as he looked around in the carnage in the room. The remains of ten Death Munchers were strewn across the ruined room. His friends came out of their hiding spaces while Hermione stayed in her position, still scanning the area for more targets. His wand lit up the room after he non-verbally cast the Lumos charm.

"Harry..."

Unsurprisingly, Daphne had worn her "Ice Queen" persona throughout the firefight. She held up her C8A1 carbine, slowly returning to her loving, warmer self as she slung the firearm behind her back and came over to hug Harry. Neville and Tracy stepped out of their hiding spot, with Neville still wielding his C8 Carbine, reloading another 40 mm grenade into his underslung M203 while Tracy slung her C7 rifle and pulled her wand out.

Sam came out, wielding his C9 Light Machine Gun, scanning around as he approached the group, just as their radios crackled to life.

"Papa Six, Papa Six, this is Sierra Major, please come in."

"Sierra Major, this is Papa Six."

"Six, what's your status?"

"Building is cleared. One Eight Delta Echo in total, sir."

"Confirmed, One Eight tangos down. Report back to HQ for debriefing. Good work, Six."


	10. Chapter 9: The Riddle of Horcruxes

July 8, 1996

A week went by, with little activity happening for Harry and his friends. For most of the British teens, it was boring, to say the least. However, it was quite refreshing for Harry who had survived repeated attempts on his life ever since he was an infant. Canada was starting to feel like the perfect getaway from the mess that was Magical Britain.

Today, Harry and the other five teens remained at the Greengrass residence for the day. Michelle Greengrass had left after breakfast with the two youngest Greengrass children for a summer day camp north of Barrie. Sirius and Colonel Greengrass had also left after breakfast, saying that they had very important business to attend to. The teens soon found themselves in the living room relaxing on the sofas. Hermione was reading a novel she had borrowed from the local library, while Sam, being a studious young wizard, was reading up on a charms textbook for the upcoming school year. The others were talking about they were going to do this year; with the slow train wreck known as the Ministry of Magic about to get worse, they couldn't go back to Britain now.

The chatting stopped when they heard voices talking from the driveway leading to the front entrance, then moments later heard the front door open.

To everyone's shock, there, standing at the doorway, was Professor Albus Brian Wulfric Dumbledore, wearing a forest green trench-coat and matching fedora, looking very much like a wizened godfather, though one with a very British accent. Colonel Greengrass and Sirius Black stood on either side of the headmaster, both looking rather somber and uneasy.

"Good morning everyone, I am very glad to see that you are all doing well. We do have a few things to discuss." He greeted as he removed his coat, revealing a mauve business suit underneath.

The Colonel called out, "Leslie!"

The house-elf quickly apparated from the kitchen.

"Yes, Master Greengrass?"

"Could you please help Professor Dumbledore with his coat, after which could you please set up some tea and refreshments in the living room?"

"Certainly, Master." She cheerfully replied.

With that, she gingerly took Dumbledore trench-coat, snapped her fingers and went to work. Within seconds, a large tea set and a platter of biscuits appeared on the coffee table, and the little house-elf went back to washing up dishes in the kitchen. Dumbledore walked into the room with evident haste and took a seat on one of the reclining chairs. Harry and Daphne had been sitting with Tracy and Neville on the sofa, which had magically extended itself to fit the four teens. The Colonel gave the remaining chair to Sirius, after which he pulled out his wand and conjured an ottoman seat for himself.

Dumbledore took one of the teacups and poured himself a fresh brew of tea. After taking a sip, he sighed and began to speak.

"As I'm sure you are all aware, the Ministry of Magic in Britain is turning into a dictatorship under the Minister Fudge. He has enacted over a dozen draconian laws, and has begun arresting political opponents and dissidents. The Order has been declared "A subversive element" and we have been forced to go underground. Known members like me are now closely watched by the ministry and are constantly under attack by supporters of Minister Fudge. So far, he has not made any moves to remove me as headmaster of Hogwarts, but with Umbridge returning this year, I fear he may try again."

"I'm afraid that Cornelius Fudge, no doubt encouraged by certain individuals, has also personally issued an arrest warrant for you, Harry, as well as similar warrants for Miss Granger, Miss Davis, and Mr. Longbottom on the charges of under-aged magic, vandalism of the ministry, magical attacks on Umbridge, the destruction of official Ministry property, and many, many other pointless charges. Miss Greengrass, your father has managed to clear you of all charges, so you could return to Hogwarts this coming year. However, I have a feeling that you want to stay with Harry and the others, is that correct?"

Daphne answered with a suddenly and firm determination.

"Absolutely, Professor."

Dumbledore eye's twinkled brightly at Daphne's dedication to her boyfriend.

"Very well..."

Taking another sip of his tea, he continued.

"This year, I, along with the other professors in Hogwarts, have come to the conclusion that it is best that all of you are to remain in Canada for your sixth year. After pulling a few strings and calling in some favours, Colonel Greengrass and I have arranged for the five of you to study in the Orenda School of Magic, which is where Mister Samuel Greengrass," he gestured at the Canadian teen, "is currently studying. I am an old acquaintance of the headmaster, Professor Hezekiah Thompson, and I can assure you that you will learn far more in the School than back at Hogwarts.

Hermione was slightly confused and asked, "Professor, I don't understand. Are you saying that Hogwarts has not taught everything that should have been taught?"

"I'm so sorry, Miss Granger, but the school has long been suppressed from modernizing and teaching everything students needed to learn. As you know, the British Wizarding community has been held back for several centuries behind the rest of the wizarding and non-magical world. The curriculum and policies at Hogwarts unfortunately reflects this reality. Miss Granger, do you ever wonder why all school work must be done on parchment and quills instead of paper and pens? Ever wonder why the "Muggle Studies" classes seem absolutely absurd? Or why there is little mention of other Magical nations in History of Magic? All of the school's courses and regulations are tightly controlled by the traditionalist board of governors, and lest we all forget who has a significant influence there."

Harry spat bitterly, "Lucius Malfoy."

"I'm afraid so, Harry. Even as headmaster of the school, I have no say over what the students are taught here. And even before Tom Riddle's rise to terror, the ministry has long haeld a tight leash over what we can officially teach you. For that, I am truly sorry and I honestly wished I could have done something to fight this policy."

Hermione was surprised at the sudden apologetic tone of the headmaster, who just admitted that all this time, Hogwarts has not been properly teaching young witches and wizards like Harry all they needed to know in order to make it in the wizarding world.

"As it stands, Mr. Malfoy and his numerous associates are increasing their influence over the ministry and there are rumours that they may accelerate their plans to take complete control of the Ministry. Minister Fudge," Dumbledore continued with an irritated and frustrated voice, "has regrettably allowed his own paranoia to overcome common sense and justice. He is inching closer and closer to becoming a figurehead of Malfoy. And I trust we all know what that means."

Surprisingly, it was Neville who answered.

"The ministry will fall to Voldemort, and with it, magical Britain..."

An uneasy silence filled the air, as everyone pondered the consequences of such a takeover.

"Thank you, Mr. Longbottom. This brings us to the other important matter: Tom Marvolo Riddle; Lord Voldemort. Now I have some questions for you Harry: Have you ever wondered how did Riddle survive attacking you, despite taking the full blast of the killing curse? Ever wondered how the Tom Riddle in the Diary knew exactly who you were and what you did? How you saw those visions from Voldemort last year? And why did such a promising young man become a brutal mass murderer?"

Harry nodded slightly, "I sometimes did think about that, but I never figured it out, so I let it go." He paused. "Professor, are you saying that you know the answer?"

The Professor took some time to collect himself before answering Harry's question, with a mixture disappointment and horror in his tone.

"I believe that ever since he was Head Boy at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle decided to seize immortality for himself by storing pieces of his soul inside magically charged "vessels"; a type of dark object created from pure, malicious evil: the Horcrux."

Harry raised an eyebrow in confusion, "A horcrux? Professor Dumbledore, what is a 'horcrux'?"

Daniel Greengrass stared wide-eyed with horror, as a terrible realization set in for the veteran officer.

"My God, that explains it..."

Harry asked the Colonel, "Sir, it explains what?"

Dumbledore replied, "It explains everything that we know about Riddle. Why he became a serial killer, and why he went down his path.

A horcrux is any object that has been magically altered to keep a piece of a person's soul, so they will never die. However, a soul cannot be split into pieces unless something terrible is willingly committed by the person in question."

Hermione, who had closed her eyes in concentration, suddenly opened them in horrified and disgusted understanding. "Murder," she spat.

Dumbledore nodded, "If someone kills another person by accident or in self-defense, there is little chance that your soul is split by such an event. However, the cold blooded, wanton taking away of innocent life almost guarantees that one's soul will be broken. In this case, it was far, far worse."

From a pocket in his suit, he pulled out a familiar, tattered book.

Daphne looked at the ruined book and quickly put two and two together, "the Diary; it's a horcrux, isn't it?"

Dumbledore grimly nodded,

"Yes, this was a horcrux. I believe that Riddle used the murder of Miss Myrtle Harrison, better known now as 'Moaning Myrtle,' to split his soul and stored a piece in his Diary as a "trial run" of sorts; it would not be the last. Ever since I received Riddle's Diary from you, Harry, I have been searching for answers about Tom, mostly through watching pensive memories from various individuals. What I have found so far is nothing more than disgusting and wretched beyond anything I have ever encountered."

Dumbledore then gave the teens a brief overview of what he knew about Voldemort's life prior to his first murder, and his alarming behaviour even as a young child.

"Riddle, like many wizards, believes that the number seven is a lucky magical number. As such, I believe that Riddle had planned to create a total of six horcruxes, with himself keeping the last portion of his shattered soul.

Riddle's mother was Merope Gaunt, among the last members of the old Gaunt family. They were known to be the last pureblood family directly descended from Salazar Slytherin, meaning that Tom Riddle is indeed Slytherin's Heir. As it stands, I believe he has used at least two known artifacts of Slytherin: a golden locket and a ring.

Based on my time with him when he was at Hogwarts, he was also interested in his magical heritage, completely disowning his muggle side completely. I had also heard from fellow teachers at the time that he wanted to see if he was descended from the other founding members of Hogwarts. That is why I believe that Riddle had tried to turn several artifacts from every founder into horcruxes, as a way of "claiming descent from the founders" in his twisted mind.

After leaving Hogwarts, he made at least four more of the evil objects before attempting to make his sixth and last horcrux." He pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper and passed it to Harry, whispering to the teen that he should examine it later tonight. "As it happened, he found out about the first part of the Prophecy, and quickly marked you as his last victim and source for his sixth horcrux..."

Dumbledore started to hesitate, as if there was something he was reluctant to share. He smiled at the group, though it was clear he was hiding whatever he was thinking of from the group.

"Anyways, I also believe that to complete his goal, he may have made another horcrux recently. I suspect that the snake familiar of Riddle, Nagini, may have become this new horcrux."

"During this summer and in the coming year, I will be working to destroy as many of the cursed objects as possible. To that end, I may need your help with at least one such horcrux: the locket. I will arrive at the Orenda School of Magic when I feel that we are ready to go."

Suddenly, Dumbledore gave a big smile, as if he had not spoken about the revelations surrounding Voldemort.

"In the mean time, you and your friends will be receiving some advanced training under the Colonel, his colleagues, and a few members of the Order. Remus Lupin has agreed to stay in Canada until at least the end of the summer; I know that the Canadians have been making progress in healing those afflicted with lycanthropy, and perhaps it will do him good to be away from the prejudices of pure-bloods in Britain.

Other than that, I implore every one of you," he looked at the five teens and Sirius, "to make the most of your time here, and enjoy your stay. I daresay that your actions last month have merited rest, and you all deserve it."

His eyes started to twinkle.

"I also believe that Misters Fred and George Weasley may come and visit as well; there are rumours that they want to make a business venture of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Canada. And I'm sure their partner would love to help them out.

Harry, do not let worries about Lord Voldemort dampen your summer. He will not be able to reach you here, and he has no supporters in the Canadian wizarding community."

He had stood up, and gave his farewell, as Leslie apparated into the room with Dumbledore's trench-coat, which he quickly donned. "Farewell, and adieu to everyone."

He went outside with the Colonel, who Side-Apparated with the old Professor to Ottawa, where Dumbledore could then floo back to his familiar office in Hogwarts.


	11. Chapter 10: The Demonspawn

July 9, 1996

Two massive interceptors rocketed through the still, Arctic sky. Each of their two magically-enhanced PS.13 Orenda Iroquois Turbojets burned hot as the large delta winged jets supercruised at 50,000 feet. The Avro Arrows, painted in a brilliant white finish, with the Canadian flag on their tails and the roundel of the old Royal Canadian Air Force on their wings, still looked impressive even after almost forty years of service.

Twelve aircraft were saved from the scrapper's torch by wizarding managers and employees of Avro Canada, who pulled off the greatest aircraft heist in Canadian history. A flurry of Duplication and Memory charms made sure that none of the muggle workers and politicians ever knew of the "appropriated" aircraft.

The original five Mark I aircraft were initially rebuilt to the Mark II standards, which included the replacement of their General Electric J75 engines with the more powerful, Canadian-designed PS.13 Iroquois engines of their younger siblings, as well as production grade fire control radars and many other improvements. In December 1961, after two years of improvements and testing, the twelve CF-105 Arrows finally entered service with No. 428 Squadron RCAF, the "Ghosts", who had been officially "disbanded" in the non-magical world.

Today, RL-209 and RL-210 were out flying on a routine air patrol over the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. Unlike the CF-18 fighter jets of the Canadian Forces Air Command who were usually deployed to Northern Canada to intercept Russian Bear bombers, the Arrows had restarted their arctic patrol flights five years ago due to reports from CFS Alert of another dangerous threat: massive, hostile dragons attempting to enter Canadian airspace, something that had not occurred in years.

At 9:17 AM, the two aircraft picked up something they had hoped not to find: a pack of four dragons, already over the northernmost islands of Canada, heading south.

There were only two breeds of dragons known to live in Canada, neither of which lived in the far northern reaches of Canada. One was the Greater Canadian Thunderwing, most of its member now kept in a preserve at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The other breed was the American Green Spinesnout, which had a small population deep in northern Ontario and a small family in the Silvermoon National Zoo.

A few minutes later, the pilots, equipped with magically-extended binoculars made visual contact with the dragons at 30 nautical miles, and what they saw shook them to their core: four massive, black dragons with long, twisted horns and ragged, spiny wings, flying in a loose formation, mark with what looked like a massive white skull on each of their foreheads. It was a breed that every magical government in the world wished had died out twenty-five years ago with their original owner.

Ever since the fall of Grendelwald, a number of dark wizards and witches had sprung up in parts of central and eastern Europe. Among these was a man claiming to be the infamous Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, ruling as a tyrant in the Ural Mountains. Starting in 1958, the wizard had sent Russian Black Demonspawns, a very dark and powerful breed of dragons, to attack Canada, leading to the Canadian Department of Magical Affairs attempting to find a countermeasure against the dragons. After the defeat of "Rasputin" in 1971by a joint Russian and Canadian commando force, the Black Demonspawns, their numbers decimated by CF-105 interceptions and by wizard forces, were mostly wiped out in a final battle though there were unconfirmed reports that the Knights of Walpurgis, who later became the infamous Death Eaters, managed to save a number of the beasts and escaped.

The two interceptors had been pre-authorized to engage any dragons on sight, and the Arrows' navigators, the "guy in the back", who were in charge of the radar and weapons systems of the Arrows, activated their master arm switches, arming their steeds' deadly payload. Each aircraft's internal weapon bay had an undetectable extension charm, allowing for four modified AIM-9L Sidewinders missiles and six custom-made Sparrow II medium range missiles to be carried by the aircraft. The charm also mitigated the weight of the missiles, extending the range of the aircraft, which also carried charmed fuel tanks for unrivalled flight endurance and performance. They were too close for the medium range missiles, so they accelerated to full military power, the afterburners glowing as the planes shot past Mach 2.

For the lumbering and dangerous beasts slowing flying south, their day was interrupted as two shiny birds shot past them, moving far too quickly for the Black Demonspawns to react in time. Then, the four dragons shuddered in agony, the dragons scattering, as the impressive shockwave left in the wake of the birds reached their ears. Enraged, they looked for the offenders who had disturbed their flight to Canada. Then, each dragon felt a shot of pain as a Sparrow II active-guided missile struck each of the dragons. The missiles were armed with a combination of high explosives and a hardened tungsten rod in their warheads, the latter specifically made to pierce armor or the thick, tough skin of a dragon. Like fiery lances, the rods, heated by air friction, pierced the winged reptiles. One of the dragons was suddenly engulfed with red and greens flames as a burning rod pierced the enlarged glands that supplied fuel for the dragon's fiery breath. Flames charred the wings and much of its body, with pieces of its flesh seared by the heat and ripped from the dragon. The critically wounded animal started to fall from the sky, roaring in its death throes towards its injured brethren.

The dragons started to breath fire at every direction, the flames pouring out with urgency. Unfortunately for the dragons, this made them prime targets for the Arrows heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles. As the Canadian built interceptors closed in, the doors to each weapons bay opened up and released a sidewinder at a target. Within seconds, two heads were impaled by more tungsten rods, which instantly killed the dragons on impact. Their wings, no longer controlled, stopped flapping, and the dragons began to dive down. Their last breaths of fire slowly burned back down the throat, until the flames reached their fuel reserves. Suddenly, the two dragons detonated, their remains engulfed in sickly green pyres to their demise.

The last dragon attempted to speed away to the south, intent on destroying everything on sight at its destination. However, the lead jet closed in, intent on ending this fight now. The Arrows had been significantly modified over the years, with one of the largest changes being the installation of two 20 millimetre auto cannons in bulges at the sides of the fuselage. Even the thick skin of the dragon is not fully resistant to multiple 20 mm cannon rounds racing at nearly 1,030 meters per second. A burst of cannon fire tore though the main joint in the dragon's left wing, and the dragon started to lose altitude. One more burst through the body of the dragon, and the beast slowly died on its last descent.

With the last of the dragons down, the two birds hurried to report back at CFB Silvermoon, the home of 428 Squadron. This was the first known appearance of the dangerous Demonspawns in ages, and the military top brass, and possibly the Canadian Department of Magical Affairs, needed to know ASAP. The breed could only be controlled by the most powerful of dark wizards, and there was currently one major dark wizard at large in Europe.

* * *

><p>Author note: I am very sorry for the long delay, but with school and the occasional writer's block, it will be a challenge to have regular updates.<p>

Also, I am planning (after and if I ever get this story done) to make a crossover with Doctor Who. What if the Doctor and a recently reunited Romana were on their final regenerations, and with the universe needing a Doctor and the last Time Lady, devise a way to be re-birthed, specifically as a certain raven haired, green eyed boy and a classmate? What happens when the worst Dark Lord of the 20th century meets his greatest and most powerful nightmare: the Destroyer of Worlds, the Oncoming Storm, the Lonely Angel, or as we all know him, the Doctor? Any thoughts?


	12. Chapter 11: A Summer of Learning

NOTE: It's back, though it will still be updated infrequently. Sorry.

Wednesday July 9, 1996

09:27:15 AM EDT

Greengrass Residence, Ontario

Harry Potter and his fellow Britons were finishing up the last bit of breakfast, made by the Canadian Greengrasses' elf, Leslie. Daniel and Michelle were out with their kids, though the Canadian Colonel told them that today, there would be some visitors, courtesy of Professor Dumbledore. He had spoken to Professor Hezekiah Thompson, who had arranged for the five British teenagers to receive some remedial tutoring, with several focus areas for learning.

While Professor Snape was admittedly a good potions master and was the best in Britain, he was nevertheless a poor instructor, as admitted hesitantly by Dumbledore, and had not helped Britain's deficit of potions qualified graduates from Hogwarts. The infamous Professor Binns had left Magical Britain with a rather terrible grasp of both non-magical and magical history.

The only good DADA teacher the group had was Remus Lupin in third year, though in fairness, the others were simply bad luck or circumstances. Professor Quirrell was given the post before he went to Albania for his encounter with Riddle; Lockhart was the only applicant the following year. No one knew that Barty Crouch Jr. was alive and this kidnapping of Mad-Eye before fourth year, and the Ministry's interference was why the infamous toad became DADA professor, albeit among the worst in history.

The Canadian Magical Education System was also different than at Hogwarts, as Languages and the Sciences were offered as courses, along with English, which was focused on writing and poetry. Further, the education system ran up to the age of 18, one year more than at Hogwarts, with further options to go to university in either Silvermoon or at a non-magical institution.

At 9:30, the door rang, and Leslie quickly went to greet the guests. The elf came into the dining room, leading three rather different looking people. One was a tall, broad shouldered man with a rather distinctive nose and sandy brown hair, dressed in a non-magical business suit. The second was a shorter, slender black woman also in non-magical clothes; she had a rather cheerful disposition compared to the other two guests. The third person, shorter than the first man was a Metis man also dressed in a business suit and was clearly the leader of the group. Though he had a few greys in his raven black hair his face showed authority and a firmness that eerily channeled Professor McGonagall. With piercing blue eyes that made Daphne's "ice mode" eyes look warm, he was clearly one not to be messed with. The man stepped forward, and his face suddenly softened slightly. "Good Morning, name is Professor Hezekiah, Headmaster and Senior Transfiguration instructor at the Orenda School of Magic."

The man smiled slightly and shook hands with Harry, "And you must be Harry Potter. Don't worry, we don't gawk at people. You won't to be singled out like in Britain." After shaking the other teens' hands, he looked at Sirius Black and smirked. "And I've heard about you, Mr. Black. You're not a convicted lunatic here in Canada, though we might be wrong about the last part." The Professor took out a manila envelope from the messenger bag that he had and passed it to Sirius, who quirked and eyebrow at the man before putting it on the table.

The taller man stepped forwards and shook everyone's hands. "My name is Matthew Darvill, and I am the senior instructor of Defense." The woman stepped "My name is Tabitha Peters, I'm one of the instructors of Magical History and Geography."

Professor Thompson continued, "So, now we've gotten past the pleasantries, let's discuss what you need to learn during this summer."

The discussion lasted the entire morning, with the Brits also demonstrating their knowledge in Charms, Transfiguration and some of their defense spells, which did impress the Canadians. Thanks to Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, they were actually on par with the Canadian magical education system, and Neville Longbottoms was actually surpassing current standards for herbology. However, the other subjects were clearly found wanting.

While the Brits were quite advanced in Defensive spells, including the Patronus Charm, which was taught in sixth year, they had to largely learn by themselves, having had only one good DADA professor during their previous five years. However, they were told by Mr. Darvill that defense against the dark arts was only a portion of Defense courses taught around the world outside of Europe. Defense, he explained, also included learning about non-magical tactics and weaponry, as well as learning the concepts and effects of the dark arts, to effectively counter such practices.

Only Hermione, Daphne, and Tracy had anything remotely near the appropriate knowledge of Potions, though it was a long ways to go. After hearing about how they learned potions, the Brits saw the other two teachers shaking their heads and could hear the headmaster mutter, "It's far worse than I thought." Mrs. Peters, who was also a junior instructor for Potions, explained that in North America, no one ever uses cauldrons and open fires to create potions, seeing those as imprecise, archaic methods for brewing what would be rather unpredictable potions, especially when they had to use raw ingredients. Here, potions are taught almost like chemistry, using beakers, test tubes, pipets, burets, and Bunsen burners for the brewing process. Softer and organic ingredients like hairs, weeds, animal parts (normally leftovers from dissection in Biology lessons) are typically boiled up in distilled water, extracting the essence of the ingredient without impurities. Harder ingredients like bones or teeth are typically ground to a fine dust and stored until use like chemicals. By using more scientifically precise measurements of ingredients and times, Peters explained that a potion brewed this way was more effective than those made by cauldron-based processes.

History, to Peters' dismay, was also very wanting. It was clear that they had been taught nothing about history other than various Goblin Rebellions (virtually all of those in Europe) and various treaties by their undead professor. They were to learn this summer about more recent history like the War of 1898 and how the Grindelwald Crisis was linked to the Second World War.

The Brits, helped by Sam, would also be taught about Runes and Arithmancy (which also included mathematics and statistics), along with conversational French; languages were also taught at Orenda. Further, they were to be given a basic overview of the sciences, as Biology (which includes some herbology and working with magical creatures), Chemistry (tied in with Potions), and Physics were also courses taken at the school.

It was agreed that tutoring would normally happen in the morning and afternoons from Monday to Friday, though the times were flexible and some days could be freed up for other activities. Harry offered to pay for the education, but was told that the Department of Magical Affairs (Department of Magic) is subsidizing some of the costs, with Professor Dumbledore apparently paying the rest.

* * *

><p>July 19, 1996<p>

9:59:32 AM EDT

For the past two weeks, Harry and his friends, often joined by Sam, were taught quite a bit on the subjects that they needed remediation. The Greengrasses had a small potions lab set up in their basement, and the "Hogwarts five" finally got some quality education in this field. Their tutor, Herb Gathwal, was a bit of an eccentric, a second generation immigrant from India, who occasionally went off tangents during his lesson. His Sikh turban initially caused Harry to be a bit uneasy, and Harry had been mercilessly ribbed about that. He was however a rather cheerful teacher, a far cry from the notorious Snape. Gathwal was very scientific during his lessons, and the potions instructions in the textbooks he brought were more like chemistry lab procedures than the recipes that were in the British texts. Arithmancy was proceeding nicely along with basic runes, which also included the study of some Asian runes as well as one made by the First Nations in North America. In History, they learned about the history of Magical North America, with a focus on Canada's history and its gradual separation from Magical Britain.

Today, there would be a joint lesson by both Darvill and Peters, who soon entered the room with a Projection-style Pensive and a long, battle rifle.

Peter's began the lesson. "Good Morning Everyone, today we are going to learn about the War of 1898 in France.

As I taught last lesson, Canada and the United States were the first nations to formally establish a regular magical army, and as we learned, the Americans were also dealing with a magical civil war in Mexico in the 1890s. At that time, France once again faced another Dark Lord, a fellow by the Name of Lord Henri Merovingian, better known as Le Bourreaur or 'the Executioner'."

Darvill continued, "The Executioner was a nasty man, cunning and ruthless, taking over the French Ministry via backroom deals, assassinations, and covert support from extra-nationals. This naturally led to a migration of many civilians to Africa as well as Europe. The Executioner despised all hybrids or 'half-breeds,' which I'm told was the same attitude of a certain toad you have encountered, an um-britch?" The kids, despite the abuse inflicted by the infamous ministry toad, giggled at the tutor's reference to Dolores Umbridge.

"Hypocritically, Monsieur Louis also wanted to have a personal group of Veelas, but many soon decided to move to Canada, including Mrs. Greengrass's grandparents, but I digress. Once he consolidated power, the dark wizard decided to take the auror corps of France and invade Spain, along with some Spanish sympathizers. Canada answered the plea for help from Spain and deployed 2000 troops to Europe."

Peters held up the rifle, 44 inches long.

"This here is a magically enhanced Magazine, Lee-Enfield rifle. It was used by the Magical Canadian Army during the late 1890s, during the War that destroyed that wicked wizard."

Darvill held up a vial, "This is the memory of the man that fired that rifle almost a century ago. That person is my Grandfather, Sergeant Nicholas McDonald, of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Magical Regiment, on January 16, 1898, of the Battle of Belchite."


	13. Chapter 12: The Battle of Belchite

Warning: This follow Chapter features plenty of gore. You have been warned.

The five British and one Canadian teen watched in the living room as an entire wall displayed the memories of Darvill's grandfather. They found themselves looking inside what appeared to be a fortified trench, protected by sandbags and machine gun emplacements firing into the distance. They heard the pounding of cannons firing behind the trench as shells roared over the Canadian frontlines towards the French forces. The ground shook as the artillery impacted the French lines. The smell of sulfur and cordite filled their noses, the distant screams of falling French Aurors faintly heard.

At the center of the memory playback was a tall man, donned in khaki service dress, alongside a number of similarly attired men. The three-chevron rank insignias on the figure's upper arms indicated that it was indeed Sergeant Nicholas McDonald. They could see the man's short light brown hair partially covered his khaki wedge cap. The men were carrying Lee-Enfield rifles similar to the one that Mrs. Peters displayed. A few of the men, including Sergeant McDonald, fired the rifles with their right hands, using the bags to support the front of their rifles. Harry could see that all of these men held out wands with their other hand, firing curses to the front while simultaneously shooting their guns.

The rifles launched magically charged bullets from their barrels, lit up like tracer rounds as they lanced into no-man's land. The British teens also noticed that the bolt-action rifles were charmed to automatically move the bolt back and forth quickly in between shots. Not needing to use their hands to handle the reloading, the Brits were firing rapidly, almost a round every second. They only stopped to reload the guns, and soon resumed shooting.

After a few minutes elapsed, everyone heard the sound of a whistle, followed by a collective roar as the Canadian troops went over the top. They saw beams of light pass over the soldiers' heads, coming from the French lines. The troops slowly marched forward, some diving into craters to resume shooting. One soldier a few yards away was hit by a reducto curse, and fell to the ground in agony, but the others continued to advance. A few Canadian troops began to cast long bursts of incendio fire, creating walls of flames over the desolate fields.

On the battlefield, the bodies of what had to be French Aurors were strewn about. Detached limbs, feet, and blood were everywhere. Some of the enemy had holes torn out of the bodies by the rounds. Some of their faces still held a look of surprise from being hit by magically-enhanced "muggle" weapons. A few didn't have faces, being hit in the head by .303 rounds, causing some of the British teens to throw up, though the Professors quickly vanished the vomit away. The men continued to fire round after round to the enemy lines, who had apparently failed to create effective fortifications against the Canadian firepower. A group of French Aurors were inside an abandoned Spanish village, hiding among the ruined buildings, firing wildly towards the incoming troops.

Harry and Daphne saw a dark cloaked figure, described by Mr. Darvill as one of Lord Henri's outer circle, apparate by the village and began to rapid fire unforgivables towards the Canadians, who dropped down for cover. One unlucky soldier was hit by the Killing Curse, and stayed down. Sergeant McDonald, hiding in a crater, tapped what appeared to be an early-style telephone handset then yelled out a request for artillery support, pointing his wand at the dark wizard as he placed a special tracking charm. Several booms were heard before a dozen shells impacted around the dark wizard, who apparently did not hear the shells targeted on him. A massive crater was left where the wizard had stood, along with bits of cloth and blood. The Sergeant called out to the men and they left their hiding spots before continuing to advance ahead. Soon, they found dozens of wounded Aurors lying on the ground, many with missing limbs or massive gouges from the bullets. A few left standing raised a white flag or held up their hands in surrender, pleading in both English and French for mercy. The memory began to fade out.

The room fell silent as everyone contemplated what they just saw. After a few minutes, Mr. Darvill broke the silence.

"The Battle of Belchite was a defining point for the Canadian Magical Army, our version of Non-Magical Canada's Vimy Ridge. In seven days, over 3,200 French Aurors, dark wizards and witches, as well as their Spanish supporters were killed, out of an initial 5000 people. Canada's Spanish ally lost 1,934 Aurors out of 3,000 and we lost 127 soldiers out of 2000 in the Regiment. To brutally honest, the Canadians utterly massacred the enemy." Mrs. Peters passed the rifle to him, and he held it with nostalgia.

"Part of today's lesson is the reality that when it comes down to wands versus guns, guns usually win. It takes years of training for someone to accurately fire spells from a wand. You can train marksmen in months, and even without magic, most rounds can pierce shield charms. The Killing Curse is only effective at around 50 yards. This rifle here, in trained hands, could pick off someone at 550 years. A sniper can take out someone at a thousand yards."

The Brits, especially the Purebloods, looked slackjawed.

"This also leads to another point, and somewhat I need to make clear. The non-Magical World has over 5 and a half billion people around the world. There are less than 50 million magically gifted people in the world. If we entered a war with the Non-Magicals, we would be annihilated. If Voldemort did manage to take over Magical Britain, every wizard and witch there would be marked for possible death.

The Magical Governments of Canada and the United States were fully aware of Magical Britain's first war with the Death Eaters, along with senior members of all three nations' Non-Magical governments. A few families that were reported killed by Riddle's men had in fact escaped to Australia and North America, and we had a good feel for what was going on in Britain.

We asked if your Ministry of Magic would let our Aurors come and help against Mr. Tom Riddle and they rejected our offer repeatedly. They insisted that they had control over the situation; they said that they would deal with Riddle. The reality, well, it was a disaster. Families fled or were killed by Riddle's organization. "Muggleborns" were killed on a daily basis. They were simply too stubborn and too backwards to understand that they were on a collision course with destruction. They soon began to ignore our promises to help. In fact, they attacked those who disagreed with the Ministry's word that their little world was under control. Albus Dumbledore was temporarily suspended from being head of the British Wizengamot by the Ministry for being a "subversive element" and "a potential traitor of Magical Britain." The Ministry rejected an ICW Resolution condemning their inaction against the terrorists, and eventually walked out on us.

By the late 70s, it was almost the breaking point for the Magical World. While the Death Eaters were a small group, they had begun to expand. Magical France and Spain were actively fighting DE cells that popped up in their lands. Riddle had already gathered quite a few supporters in Eastern Europe. We finally had enough when Riddle tried to start up cells in North America and tried to restart a war between Vampires and other beings in both America and Mexico. One sleeper cell finally tried to attack us, striking at CFB James Bay in '79. We lost ten soldiers and six civilians. After that, we went all out. Every single DE support or agent were either captured or killed, and assisted the Americans in neutralizing the vampires and werewolves forces in their nation and in Mexico.

At that point, the ICW, with Britain temporarily suspended, was about to vote on sending Canadian and American troops into Britain for a military intervention. We would have sent troops to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, as well as the Ministry. Martial law would have been imposed. If that hadn't worked, we were prepared to allow Non-Magical Britain to declare war on the Ministry of Magic and the Death eaters.

Albus Dumbledore had pleaded with us not to send soldiers in. He didn't want the blood of his fellow countrymen on his hands. Every wizard and witch in Britain would have been considered a potential threat by our troops. Anyone who held a wand against our troops would have been shot. Even so, he was about to give in, two years after James Bay, to call for the vote when Riddle suddenly disappeared."

Neville had to ask, "Mr. Darvill, would you have gone on that mission?"

Mr. Darvill signed, and took out a brass cap badge, "At that time, I was a Sergeant in the Magical Regiment, and yes, I would have been deployed to Britain to carry out Martial Law. Would we have won against Riddle in the end? Yes. While he has those godforsaken Horcruxes, we had made a batch of special bullets, infused with a curse to destroy him and every horcrux he was connected with. However, it would have taken time to locate the bastard and give him the special delivery. We estimated that by time we did find Riddle, over a tenth of Magical Britain might have been wiped out. Every Auror, everyone loyal to the Ministry might have been marked for death. We might have killed people for holding their wands against us. All it takes for an idiot to cast a curse and many civilians might have been caught in the crossfire. We all hated that thought, but that was the reality. We would not have been in jolly ol' England to sing kumbaya or make peace with the civilians; our job would have been to take out any threats to the safety of the rest of the world, and damn the consequences and destruction."

Silence once again fell in the room as the Brits realized the implication of what could have happened if the ICW decided to act. Many innocent lives would have been lost, and the Ministry, in its complete stupidity and arrogance, might have pronounced a death sentence for all of Magical Britain.

Daphne's eyes were tearing up as she understood that her entire family could have been killed. Harry had to hold her and give Daphne comfort as the words of their prospective Defense instructor took hold.

Tracy was also tearing up, as a shell-shocked Neville could only hold her hand as the reality set in. His parents, being Aurors would have been considered a potential threat, Order of the Phoenix or not, and his Grandmother might have been also killed.

Hermione sat stiffly, her mind processing everything that had been said in the hour. Magical Britain had just dodged being hit with a metaphorical bullet, and it was dancing with fire once again. Riddle was back, and this time, there might not be a second chance or a reprieve.


	14. Chapter 13: Developments in July

Note: The Harry Poter Series is owned by JK Rowling, and some other elements are owned by fellow authors.

* * *

><p>Developments in July<p>

Sirius was often with the Teens during their tutoring sessions. He was amazed by how much they were learning, and he too was learning many new things about magic that was never in the Hogwarts curriculum. The teens were being taught about magical history outside of Britain such as the problems with Grindelwald, the history of the last Dark Lord to attack North America, as well as a run-though of how the Department of Magical Affairs operated.

Magical Canada had a government structure that was fundamentally based on the British model, however, there were significant differences in how the departments actually worked. They too had a Wizengamot, but all members, including the chairperson, were elected every four years in a federal election. The Minister of Magic was technically appointed to office by the chair of the Wizengamot, but in reality was elected in a "referendum" by the people of Canada.

Otherwise, Sirius was often tagging along with Colonel Daniel Greengrass or in Ottawa at the Department of Magical Affairs. As he never received a trial in Britain about the alleged murder of Peter Pettigrew and multiple non-magics, he went to the head office of the RCMA on July for a quick interview. There he was survived to see another man, who the Commissioner of the RCMA identified as Director of the Canadian Magical Intelligence Service, which was somewhat akin to an Unspeakable back home in Britain.

It took less than fifteen minutes for the Canadians to clear Sirius Orion Black of all charges and accusations made by the British Ministry, and he also registered himself as an Animagi. In return for providing additional details on the inner workings of the Ministry of Magic and anything he knew about certain Death Eaters, he was offered employment as a reserve field agent of the CMIS.

Seeing as he needed something to do with the kids going to Orenda, Sirius accepted the offer on the condition of CMIS considering Remus Lupin as another candidate agent. Sirius now carried a special Para-Ordinance 14-45 pistol with him at all times as part of his plan to protect his Godson and friends by any means necessary. He was also going to get some military-style training and time on the shooting range, learning how to fire more powerful firearms like sub-machine guns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles. He was also designated as a part time RCMA officer, and thus had the power to arrest criminals as a side job.

Harry and his friends also visited the smaller city of Wesakechak, Ontario, which was centered around a strangely-shoe shaped island located on the remote Severn River. This city of 50,000 was far cry from the metropolis of Silvermoon, with mostly first nations magicals residing there. Even so, the teens went to purchase some special potions ingredients, mainly native herbs and other extracts, all stored in vials or special containers.

The teens continued to learn under their tutors who were pleased by the progress made so far. Mr. Darvill in particular was surprised by the knowledge and power Harry and his friends had in magical warfare. This included the introduction of martial arts, with a friend of his coming in August to teach.

He was also helping the teens attempt to learn basic occulumency; it was part of Orenda's defense curriculum and was usually taught in fifth year. During their first lesson, Harry commented on his previous failure to learn the skill while being taught by Professor Snape, leaving Mr. Darvill pondering.

"Hmm...what could prevent someone from making any mental shields unless...Of course! Riddle's connection must be preventing Mr. Potter here from forming occlumency shields!"

The teens looked at Mr. Darvill, awaiting his explanation.

"I'm guessing the connection is like having a little hole in the walls protecting your mind. As long as that hole is still open, any walls you try to create will be undermined by Legilimency.

Which bring up the reason why I think you could get your occlumency shields to work now. The connection is likely dependent on your proximity to Riddle, hence why you felt so much pain whenever you were close to the moron. Now that you're about 3,300 miles or so away from him, that link is probably very faint. You'll probably be unable to be a master at occlumency, but you'll be able to stop most mind-probing methods."

He then started to think, pacing in front of the teens, muttering rapidly.

"But why? What kind of connection is this? Is it something to do with Riddle's soul splitting?"

* * *

><p>During another visit to Baldwin Street on July 27, Daphne decided to purchase a young snowy owl, which were in fact native to North America. The male owl, which she named David, took a liking of Hedwig as soon as he arrived home; Hedwig, on the other hand, looked exasperated at the rather hyperactive owl.<p>

Harry and his Hogwarts friends also decided to purchase a second wand from a store called "Carver's," whose owner bore a slight resemblance to fellow eccentric wand-maker Mr. Ollivander. He was a bit more pleasant than the British wand-maker and a bit insightful about the wands he sold, managing to avoid staring weirdly at his customers.

Neville received a 9 1/2 inch long wand, made of Western Red Cedar and embedded with a hair from a Kermode bear or "Spirit bear". "I've found that Cedar wands typically are strong in character and posses great loyalty," Mr. Carver commented. "A well-matched cedar holder can become a frightening adversary, especially to those who try to harm their friends and loved ones. The Kermode bear is an important creature for the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. They are believed to have a symbiotic relationship with spirit of the rain forest, and serve as an important part of that ecosystem."

Tracy's second wand, 8 7/8 inches, was made of Coast Redwood and the heartstring of a Greater Canadian Thunderwing dragon. "Redwood, I found, chooses witches and wizards with the admirable ability to fall on their feet, to make the right choice, to snatch advantage from catastrophe. It is a very rare wand wood that I have rarely sold. The Great Canadian Thunderwings are cunning, but noble creatures, who use their skills and abilities to advance their families within the herd. They radiate power, but use it to help their future generations, and will do whatever they can to protect their young."

Hermione's new wand, 9 1/2 inches, was a made of Ontario Balsam Poplar and a strip of cartilage from the Dorsal fin of an Orca whale. "Poplar wands typically choose people with a clear moral vision." declared Mr. Carver. "They are usually people with consistency, strength, and integrity. Orcas are among the most intelligent beings in the ocean, and are cunning, intelligent, loyal, and brave. The piece of fin in your wand came from an ancient Orca whale that lived for over 120 years and and was part of a pod that our biologists had found possessing some magical abilities."

Daphne's was 10 inches long, made of Ebony and the feather of a Magical Raven. "Ebony wand users will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose. The Raven, of course, is a very prominent character in many Native American myths, as well as in Norse, Celtic, and Siberian mythology, though ravens are often seen as symbols of death and ill omens in other cultures. They are cunning, clever, mischievous, but also protective of their creations."

Harry's new wand was 10 3/4 inches long, made of a beautiful sugar maple and embedded with the feather of a Thunderbird. "Maple wands are used by those who rarely stay in one place and possess ambition, much like yourself Mr. Potter. Such wands desire new challenges and new environments, and favor wizards who push their magical power to the limit. The Thunderbird is one of the most powerful magical creature that features in First Nations Mythology. They are benevolent, strong, brilliant, and yet vengeful beings. They will help the helpless, defend the innocents, but will not tolerate grievances or evil. I have only sold have wands with a Thunderbird feather as it core to very powerful wizards and witches. I expect many things from you, Mr. Potter."

* * *

><p>July 29, 1996<p>

Pearson International Airport, Magical Arrivals

09:16:41 AM EDT

Harry, Daphne, Hermione, Michelle, Sirius, and the other teenagers living at the Greengrasses' residence were now waiting patiently for the only magical arrivals from Britain since they left. This time, there were no problems with Riddle sending anyone over to create trouble, and they soon saw four rather familiar faces come out.

"Harry! Sirius!"

Remus Lupin and surprisingly Nymphadoras Tonk were walking together, each pushing a cart with their luggage. Behind them were a certain pair of ginger-haired twins. All four had been looking around in awe of the inside of Canada's largest airport. As soon as they saw Harry and his friends, they quickly came over for a group hug.

"We're so glad to find you guys here." Tonks explained, her hair currently bubblegum pink.

The twins got a good look at everyone and began their usual twin-speak.

"I must say, Harry"

"It's far more cheerful here"

"Than being at home"

"Dad must definitely,"

"Get on an aeroplane,"

"One of these day."

"What are you two doing here?" Harry asked.

"Ahh our partner forgets something," One of them said.

"I'll say Gred, doesn't he know,"

"that only Zonkos,"

"operates here,"

"and there's so many,"

"many young Canucks"

"who tragically"

"miss out on our devious,"

"innovative WWW products"

"So we thought"

"we should bring the joy,"

"and wonder of _Weasleys_' Wizard _Wheezes_,"

"to the youth of Magical Canada!"

"Since Remus will stay here"

"He's agreed to help us out."

Harry looked on at the werewolf wondering what was he doing here.

"Harry, Sirius phoned us about life at Daphne's relatives, and I really wanted to spend time bonding with the Son of Prongs and his friends. I also heard that the Canadians had create a more long term solution to my little furry problem, so here I am. Oh, and Tonks here apparently wanted to take a holiday from Auror duties. We'll talk a bit more later..."

The twins continued on.

"Still can't believe,"

"Moony was our fifth year DADA prof."

"The only one that we ever liked."

"Any Padfoot's your Godfather."

"And you're the son of Prongs."

"We are not worthy!" Both declared, bowing down in mock worship of their prankster role models; everyone was left in stitches.

Remus took his suitcase and opened it up.

"Which reminds me Harry, you've been getting plenty of letters from your friends back home. They all miss you and your friends, Prongslet."

The one real problem for Harry and his friends about living so far away from the troubles back in Britain was being unable to contact their friends overseas. No owl had the endurance to fly to Iceland, let alone to Canada, and only the muggleborns and few purebloods knew how to send non-magic mail.

Remus held out the letters to Harry and he pulled out one from one of the friends who stood with him during the mess in the Department of Mysteries, Luna Lovegood.

_Dear Harry (and everyone of course),_

_I hope everyone is doing well in Canada. Father always wanted to see if we could make a trip over there to find some new critters. Hopefully the weather there is agreeable._

_I'm sorry to say that the ministry is now infested with wrackspurts. The minister has declared that all references to Voldemort are to be censored, and you are being slandered again on the Prophet. Father is worried about the mess here, and is considering sending me to Canada. Umbridge is still a faculty at Hogwarts, and by the looks of it, the other members of the DA will have to go deep underground. Dumbledore's Order also is in hiding, though Shacklebolt is still working as an Auror, though under the close eye of the Ministry._

_Someone tried to raid the home of Amelia Bones, but thankfully they ran off after someone began to fire on them. No one knows who they were and the Ministry is trying to cover it up. Susan told me that she saw some men in black clothing carrying what had to be muggle guns and they just swept in, killing most of the Death Eaters before disappearing again. They might also be thinking of going out of the country, especially with rumors that other places might come under Death Eater attacks.  
><em>

_Anyways, Cho is a complete mental wreck, or so I've heard. Her mind is overrun by wrackspurt. We'll have to watch out with her still around at Hogwarts and can only hope she doesn't cavort with Malfoy and his bunch again.  
><em>

_Ron's still feeling a bit put out by what happened last year. I've tried to talk to him to see if I can help, but he constantly clams up. I'm sure that he's feeling guilty about lashing out at you and Daphne. Hopefully the nargles will leave him alone._

_To be fair, me and the other DA members are going to miss everyone over in Canada.  
><em>

_Best of luck,_

_Luna Lovegood_

After looking through a few more letters from his friends left in Britain, Harry and his friends headed out to the Greengrass family vehicle, along with a rental van driven by Sirius Black, who had learned how to drive.

* * *

><p>HMCS Silvermoon (FFH 700), Off the Coast of Scotland<p>

08:27:13 PM UTC

Commander William Chan was sitting in the Captain's chair of his ship, sipping a cup of green tea as the morning broke. He was in charge of one of Magical Canada's three major warships and the 200 sailors who called this ship their home away from home. His Grandparents had landed in what was now British Columbia in the late 1840s, after many Wizards and Witches were expelled from China after the Opium Wars. Not wanting to live in Hong Kong, which was under the oppressive eye of the British Ministry of Magic, many magicals soon fled to North America, Australia, and South American. Chen had worked hard to reach this point in his naval career. He had served aboard the destroyer escort _HMCS Severn_ during the first Riddle Crisis in Britain before becoming a senior department head on _HMCS Sinixt_, a modified Iroquois class helicopter destroyer and the current flagship of the Canadian Magical Navy.

The _Silvermoon_, commissioned on August 21, 1991 was the first of two modified Halifax class patrol frigates, built at CFB James Bay based on duplicated blueprints from Mil-Davie Shipbuilding in Levis, Quebec. The vessels, _Silvermoon_ and _Wesakechak_, were heavily modified from the original designs, with the hull made from a special metal extracted from the Rocky Mountains. The hull interiors were given an expansion charm, increasing the vessels full and food stores, allowing the frigates to stay out at sea twice as long as their non-magical sister ships. Each ship's two gas turbine engines were charmed to improved their reliability and had diagnostic spells performed on them, allowing the engineers on board to remotely monitor the turbines. Each frigate's weapons were magically enhanced, with magically lengthened Mark 48 vertical missile launchers, capable of firing SM-2MR Standard missiles and BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, along with their forward 57mm Bofors cannon mounts capable of firing a wide variety of magical and standard rounds.

Each frigate also had a fully equipped CH-126 Sea King helicopter, ancient machines but had been charmed so they were immaculate and in perfectly condition, like they just came off the assembly line. Armed with torpedoes as well as a door mounted minigun, the helicopters operated independently from their parent ships, and had been used to hunt down rogue krakens, squid-like creatures that had been a menace off Canadian Waters.

All of Magical Canada's warships were in fact known to non-Magical Canada and NATO, the large non-magical military alliance of which Canada was a founding member. They were however, declared to be top secret testbeds, and thus did not officially exist in any records or reports. Even so, they were typically warded to avoid the notice of non-Magics and usually tried to avoid major shipping routes. Silvermoon was now on the lookout for any signs of trouble, with worries that Riddle's terrorist group is now ready to begin a takeover of Magical Britain. The ICW evidently had enough of the shenanigans with the Fudge Ministry, and did not trust Fudge's reassurances that there was no problems with the Death Eaters.

Author Notes:

For the purposes of the story, the Canadian magical education system has teachers, not professors for teaching. At the Orenda School of Magic, only the Headmaster/mistress is a Professor as they are actual Doctors, having a non-magical Ph.D. Thus the current headmaster at Orenda is officially titled Dr. Hezekiah M. W. Thompson Ph.D.

The fictional, magically hidden city of Wesakechak is roughly located at 55.434273,-88.177056. It's typically hidden from view of non-Magicals, and are charmed so that the area appears barren even on satellite photos.

The Halifax class frigates and Iroquois class destroyers are the current warship classes used by the Royal Canadian Navy.

The description of the wand woods are based on descriptions in Pottermore, while the cores from North American Magical/Mythological creatures are my speculation. The Twins will also be getting new wands. Cookies for anyone who guesses the types of wand wood they will use (hint: One bears a Province's symbolic flower, the other is the symbolic tree of another Province in Canada.) I made up the idea of a magical subspecies of the Orca Whale, considering that even now scientists believe that there might be significant biological differences between different Orca types.


	15. Chapter 14: Siege of Ottery St Catchpole

Warning: The Following Chapter features gore and violence. Viewer Discretion is highly advised.

A/N: I do not own any canon characters or locations of the Harry Potter Universe.

* * *

><p>July 31, 1996<p>

Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England

01:26:24 AM UTC

A thunderstorm was approaching the village, where most of the residents were now asleep. At an old looking house, on the outskirts of the village, one Blonde-haired teenage girl currently was talking with a red-haired boy in his room, both having a terrible suspicion that no one will get any sleep tonight. Luna Lovegood was now a frequent visitor to the Burrow, trying to build up a relationship with the youngest son of the Weasley Clan. Tonight was not one of those times, as both had their wands out in case of an attack. Luna could feel it in the air, a sense that Death Eaters were coming, and yet she could also feel that there were also forces at work to stop that danger from harming innocents. She was right.

Colonel Daniel Greengrass was currently sitting in the living room of the village's small inn, coordinating with _Commandant _Jacques Dubois of the French Magical Army over this latest mission in England. The current military operation was a collaborative effort between the Canadian Special Magical Service and the French 7th Magical Infantry Parachute Regiment (_7e RPIMa_), both Special Forces units comprised of squibs and muggle-born wizards dedicated to covert operations against Dark Magicals in order to preserve the security of their respective nations. Magical France, which was relatively modernized compared to the rest of magical Europe, was fully aware of the threat posed by Tom Marvolo Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort, courtesy of Henri Delacour, the father of Fleur Delacour, who had believed Harry Potter's position that the Dark Wizard was back.

Two weeks ago, the French Magical Government captured and interrogated what turned to be a Death Eater recruiter operating in Northern France. The interrogation revealed that Riddle was planning to eliminate possible opponents to Fudge (and Lucius Malfoy)'s control over the Ministry of Magic, with Amelia Bones at the top of the list. Thus, the Canadian SMS had stationed two patrols of operators at the Bones residence, with Colonel Greengrass making a visit to the head of the DMLE, informing Amelia and her niece of the possible attempt on their lives.

Five days ago, a dozen of the Death Eaters decided to strike, but were caught flatfooted by the Canadians, with all but one of the tangos quickly dispatched; the terrorists were largely new recruits led by Goyle Senior, who was stunned and captured by the soldiers. Only one soldier was serious injured: Trooper Kyle Walker was still in recovery after a stray diffindo curse caught his left leg, which had to be replaced with a prosthetic.

After injecting military-grade Veritiserum into Goyle's veins, they extracted intelligence that Riddle was planning to make a larger raid on Ottery St. Catchpole, as a way of demoralizing Dumbledore's faction and to demoralize Harry Potter. Voldemort apparently was furious that the boy escaped Britain and the ambush he laid out. He now wanted to get back at the boy who had stopped him so many times and his group of friends. Thus, the SMS now were spread amongst the buildings in the village and several houses on the outskirts of town.

Being forced to command his troops from a safe distance always made the veteran officer unhappy, feeling obligated to fight alongside his men. During the first Riddle Crisis, he led a number of non-existent raids against Tom Riddle and his followers, helping to kill a number of the terrorists and assisting in the evacuation of a number of families that were targeted by Riddle. Of course, officially, that never happened, as no one wasn't to deal with a Diplomatic SNAFU with the ever ignorant British Ministry of Magic. The Colonel was working on his magically hardened laptop, recently developed made by those ingenious folks at NAITM, the North American Institute of Techno-Magery. On it was a map of the village and surround area, with the locations of 32 Canadian and French troops displayed as an overlay. He was also operating his handheld radio as he sent encrypted transmissions to the men, who were waiting in pairs, disillusioned or under ghillie suits.

The troops had placed a series of 12 slate wardstones around the area, carved with runes for anti-apparition wards and more spectacularly, a unique set of wards designed to weaken unforgivable curses within the vicinity of the wardstone network. While the killing curse was still lethal, it was even slower than before. The cruciatus curse was significantly weakened, though still extremely painful, and the imperius curse was easier to resist inside the wards.

The Canadians were armed with a variety of firearms along with their wands. All of their rifles, shotguns, and submachine guns were enhanced variants of weapons currently being used by the Canadian Forces, mainly MP5A3M submachine guns and C7M assault rifles. The French were still well behind their North American Counterparts, and were forced to make do with older post WWII firearms; they were mostly armed with MAT-49 submachine guns and a pair of MAS 49 semi-automatic rifles.

Throughout the area, there were three sniper teams, two Canadian, the other French. One Canadian team was located in the village, while the other was currently positioned amongst the forests near the Burrow. The French team, armed with an FR F1 sniper rifle, was currently positioned at a barn near the Diggorys residence, hidden from the owners of the farm.

Suddenly at 02:17:16 AM, the monitoring spells cast on the wardstones alerted Colonel Greengrass that multiple apparitions had been attempted in the area. The wards were only able to force the intruders to apparate around 500 meters outside of the warded areas. He went onto the radio, knowing too well that the stuck up Death Eaters have no way of picking up radio transmissions.

"Sunray Major to all units, stand to. I say again, stand to. Tangos are inbound."

Throughout the village, French and Canadian operators went on alert, checking their various firearms and reporting in to their commanders.

At the church tower, the Canadian sniper team was already scanning for enemy tangos looking for trouble. They were armed with a massive McMillan Tac-50 sniper rifle, which fired the humongous .50 BMG round. Many years later, two non-magical Canadian Army snipers named Aaron Perry and Rob Furlong broke then re-broke the record for the longest recorded (non-magical) sniper kill in Afghanistan, both using the TacMillan Tac-50 rifle. The spotter picked out two cloaked figures at the top of a ridge approaching the house known from reports as "the Rookery," home to the publisher of "the Quibbler" magazine.

The spotter, Trooper Matthew "Stony" Rockingham called out the wind direction and the range of 519 meters to the sniper, Sergeant Benjamin "Big Ben" Harrison who adjusted his scope and focused onto the two figures. A flash of lightning lit up the area, and the spotter saw that the two men had white masks over their faces. Sergeant Harrison took a deep breath, holding it as he aimed at the lead tango. Releasing his breath half way, he fired, the rifle charmed to suppress most of the noise created by the shot.

The lead Death Eater, a young 20-something year old from Albania, was eagerly heading towards the target the Dark Lord gave him and his older partner to scout. The older Death Eater, Gibbons, felt nervous about the situation, feeling that something wasn't right about tonight. The Dark Lord had been furious over the Debacle in the Department of Mysteries, with his anger only tempered when Fudge decided to cover up the entire incident, pardoning Lucius Malfoy despite his involvement. Bellatrix Lestrange, who had been briefly incarcerated in the Ministry, had been broken out by Augustus Rookwood and a sleeper agent of the Dark Lord in the Auror Corp, only to experience first-hand the wrath of her master, still furious over her mistakes during the assault on the Ministry. Now, with Bellatrix recovering from cruciatus curse exposure, her husband Rodolphus Lestrange led tonight's raid, cowed to obey after looking at his tortured wife, who was still considered a top member of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle.

The two Death Eaters had an unwelcome surprise as they found themselves quite a distance away from their original target, the Burrow, home of the Weasley Clan. Anti-apparition wards, the correctly guessed. Fortunately, it seemed, they appeared close to their other objective, the Rookery, home to the only dissenting news magazine in Magical Britain. As the younger death eater turned towards Gibbons to speak, his head suddenly disintegrated and the body dropped to the ground; the remains of the man's skull and other parts scattered around the ground and on Gibbons' cloak.

Gibbons was too stunned to react before he heard a faint pop then felt the impact of something to his torso. This time, the sniper, a bit impatient, fired a bit too low, striking the man in the spleen, causing him to screamed into the night, awaking the sole occupant of the Rookery.

At that point, two soldiers that had been stationed near the Lovegoods' home knocked on the door, which was soon by a shocked Xenophilius Lovegood. He stared wide-eyed at the men, who were in their black kit and gas masks, looking very menacing.

"What's going on? Wh...Who are you?" He asked, noticing that the men had guns.

The older soldier, who spoke English, politely ordered, "Please be quiet. We are here to help. Let us come in, and we'll explain."

"Very well." Lovegood replied, scared out of his wits by the screaming then these men with guns, _Frenchmen_ with guns.

The men discreetly looked through of the window curtains, releasing a breath as no one appeared yet.

"Monsieur, we are safe for now. Listen very carefully: Death Eaters are coming to this home and the others in the village. Is there anyone else living with you?" he asked.

"My daughter's not here...she's at the Burrow!" he cried out, only to be reminded to keep quiet as the older man took out the radio and called in. "Commandant, c'est Porthos. Nous avons trouvé un mâle civil à la maison. Autre résident, sa fille, est à la Burrow. Ennemis sont entrants."

"Compris, évacuer le bâtiment. Out."

'Porthos' turned towards Xenophilius who was breaking down.

"Please! Save my Luna!" he pleaded.

"More Death Eaters are coming," 'Porthos' warned sternly, taking out a small length of rope that glowed a faint blue. "This is a portkey to a safe zone. Please go; the rest of us will make sure your daughter is safe."

Xenophilius reluctantly grabbed the odd plastic object and soon felt the pull of the portkey before finding himself in the middle of some large room. The rocking motion told him he was at sea and he realized that there were various uniformed men and women surrounding him, armed with those guns, along with another man whose stature and disposition told the Wizard that he was an officer. The man looked at him for signs of deception before smiling and taking out his hand.

"Welcome aboard HMCS Silvermoon..."

* * *

><p>At the Burrow, Luna and Ron heard the distant screaming and gunshots from her home, alerting them that the threat was real. Currently, Ron's parents, Ginny, Percy, and Bill were asleep at the Weasley home, with the rest of the family, sans the Twins in Canada, coming home for family dinner on Saturday.<p>

Eight cloaked figures found themselves around 600 meters away from the Burrow, well off from their planned apparition point just next to the hovel. Of course, they were now the target of the other Canadian sniper team, armed with a C3A1M Sniper rifle, along with one pair of Canadian troops near the Weasley's Quidditch Pitch and two more troopers hiding in Molly Weasley's overgrown garden. The sniper took out one of the terrorists, only to be spotted (the reflection of the rifle scope gave them away) by the leader, Rodolphus Lestrange who began to fire wildly towards the forest. The sniper team portkeyed out just before a killing curse and reductos struck their position. As remaining seven advanced on to the Burrow, Ron and Luna watched as gunfire erupted from the pitch towards the group, forcing the Death Eaters to scatter, firing curses wildly into the air.

Everyone was now awake; especially after a stray bombarda curse struck Mr. Weasley's shed, blowing it up to bits. The lights came on as footsteps and the panicked voices of Ron' family were heard. Ron's door opened and the family's matron looked inside. Molly was surprised by the presence of Luna in Ron's bedroom, but had more important things to worry about; both were fully clothed and in fact looked more prepared than everyone else in the house, wands in their hands, and both looking determined to stop the death eaters.

"Ronald Weasley... never mind, we need to get down to the living room, dears."

Luna looked at Ron, who nodded.

"Let's go."

Everyone was confused as the sounds of gunfire erupted outside. Tracer rounds lit up the stormy skies as the rain fell over the region. It was like a warzone as the mud and grime contributed to the doom and gloom as additional death eaters apparated outside Ottery, still affected by the wards, and move in packs towards the Village proper.

Almost immediately, another death eater lost their heads to a .50 BMG. Others soon had to deal with hails of bullets from the soldiers defending the village. Many Village residents hunkered down, hoping they won't be killed tonight.

High above, a bizarre machine was observing the action below using an infrared camera. It had two coaxial rotors coming out of a bulbous hourglass shaped body, which was all made of aluminum and composites. The Canadair CL-227M Magic Sentinel was feeding information to Colonel Greengrass, who saw the black and white camera feed on his laptop screen. The wards caused some interference with lines of infrared radiation emanating from the magical field. Even so, the Colonel could pick out white figures wearing cloaks firing bright bolts of light from what had to be wands, trying to retaliate against the hidden soldiers.

Down below, the Death Eaters were now fighting a losing battle, especially as they lacked night vision equipment, while the Canadian troops had state-of-the-art night vision goggles, allowing them to see in the dark, though the lightning did interfere with their vision. At the Burrow, the men nearest to the Burrow went up to the door and knocked. They were unsurprised to see several red-headed men, two red-haired women, and a blonde teenage girl tightly holding their wands, eying suspiciously at the gun-wielding men. Like the French soldiers at the Rookery, they were donned in black uniforms and vests, along with intimidating gasmasks and military helmets.

"Who the hell are you?" The older woman demanded.

"There is no time, Ma'am," began one of the men, a lieutenant of the Canadian SMS, "Ottery St. Catchpole is under attack by Death Eaters. You are a prime target and need to leave NOW!"

"What right do you have..." Molly began before one of the men wandlessly silenced her in the middle of her tirade. The Lieutenant looked at Luna after receiving a call on his radio.

"Miss," he asked, "Are you Luna Lovegood?"

"Yes, Mister Soldier," Luna replied. "...you sound Canadian. Do you know if Harry Potter is okay?"

The Lieutenant chuckled a bit. He knew that his commanding officer was hosting Harry Potter, Sirius Black, and four other British teenage Magicals at his residence.

"Miss... I haven't met them, but I'm sure they are doing fine."

He went back to business and motioned for his partner to pull out a long rope portkey. "This portkey will take you to safety. We don't know how many more are coming, so go now."

Arthur Weasley quickly placed his wife and his own hands on to the glowing rope along with the rest of the Weasleys and Luna. Soon the popped away, leaving the two troops to report back to command.

"Sunray Major, this is Alpha-Six. The Weasley family and one Luna Lovegood have been evacuated safety."

"Understood; Good work Lieutenant. Continue with the mission. Out..."

The two French soldiers at the Rookery watched as four more men approached the Lovegoods home, stunned by the bodies of their fallen comrades. The never noticed the two claymore mines that detonated in front of them. After waiting another 30 minutes, they exited the house and portkeyed to the rendezvous point.

At the Diggorys, four more Death Eaters approached, only to receive an unwelcome surprise as four soldiers opened up on the raiding party, and the manor lit up, indicating that the Diggorys heard the commotion outside. One of the Canadians had an M203 underbarrel grenade launcher and fired a grenade near the enemy. Fragments pierced their cloaks and bodies, with all of the death eaters falling in agony. Two of the less injured criminals were stunned then tied up with plasticuffs that portkeyed them to a safehouse for further questioning. The soldiers went to the Diggory's front door, where a shocked Amos Diggory could only nod as the men passed a small length of rope to him and his wife. They soon found themselves in the company of the Weasleys and Lovegoods aboard what turned out to be a Canadian warship operating off the coast of England.

By 4:00 AM, the siege was over, with the Canadians picking up any surviving Death Eaters and Apparating away once the wards were deactivated. In the morning, the villagers left their homes to find four dozen bodies of Death Eaters strewn around and at the abandoned homes of the Lovegoods, Diggorys, and Weasleys. Only one soldier was killed, a French trooper who was hit by an unlucky killing curse by Rodolphus Lestrange. The high-ranking Death Eater had abandoned the assault on the Burrow to lead the forces attacking the village proper, managing to also injure a number of troopers and destroying one of the houses there. He was finally downed by the church sniper, with a massive hole left in his torso by the lethal round.

The failed raid would undoubtedly lead to Tom Riddle going on a rampage at his lair, and a few of his followers would bear the brunt of his rage.


	16. Chapter 15: The Demons Within

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or the real life designs of warships and weapons featured in the story.

Jim Red Hawk: My idea was that the Canadians wanted to protect as many civilians as possible, and to have a more durable network of wardstones that could protect the entire village from unforgivables, or at least mitigate them.

As a warning, extreme angst is featured in this chapter.

* * *

><p>August 1, 1996<p>

5:37:15 AM UTC

HMCS Silvermoon, the Irish Sea

Along the shore of England, one of Canada's magical warships was now quietly stopped, with anti-detection wards erected over the vessel. Down below decks, three families were now resting uneasily, now dealing with shock as realization began to set in for the Lovegoods, Weasleys, and Diggorys. Lord Voldemort had tried to kill them all a few hours ago, with dozens of Death Eaters sent to destroy everything in the vicinity of Otter St. Catchpole. Their future was in uncharted waters; the safety of their homes was no longer guaranteed as proven last night, and with Magical Britain unlikely to prevent another attack, it would be dangerous to return home.

Currently, several Canadian CMIS agents were now in Ottery St. Catchpole, retrieving the wardstones erected as well as packing up as many personal belongings belonging to the three displaced families. The Diggorys were planning to temporarily move to their summer property in France, while Xenophilius was planning to go on an expedition in South America while his daughter attended school.

However, the Weasleys were in a quandary. Bill would likely return to his flat in Cairo, but that small apartment could not fit his parents. Neither was Charlie's small residence at the Dragon Preserve where he worked. The Canadians advised the Weasleys not to use the Twin's flat at their shop on Diagon Alley, as there were fears that Riddle's followers might attack the Alley. As it was, Canadian SMS operators and a few muggleborn Brits who were serving in the Special Air Service were now discreetly patrolling the Alley, with only a few Aurors aware of their presence.

On the flight deck, Lieutenant Commander Erik Smith watched as the vessel's big CH-126 Sea King landed with a particular VIP on board. He watched as the helicopter lowered a cable to be attached to the Silvermoon's "beartrap," a Canadian invention that allowed warships to operate helicopters in heavy seas. The helicopter slowly lowered to the deck, and the rotors slowed down. The starboard door of the helicopter open up as a tall white-beared man stepped out, surprisingly dressed in austere trenchcoat instead of his usual flashy robes.

Albus "man with many middle names" Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and figurehead of the Wizengamot, was now aboard HMCS Silvermoon. The executive officer of the frigate had heard all about the man, who was known as the wizard that ultimately stopped his former friend Grindelwald from continuing his reign of terror in Magical Europe, which nearly spilled over into World War II. However, as the son of two "muggleborns" forced to flee England, he had mixed feelings about the leader of the Order of the Phoenix.

Dumbledore was a very controversial figure among the many British expatriates that now lived in Magical Canada. He was certainly a powerful wizard that deserved some respect, but his rather pacifist handling of Tom Riddle and his followers was seen as useless against the bloodthirsty dark wizard. Some saw the wizard as a manipulator, a chessmaster who only saw the forest, but not the trees within. Others considered him an eccentric old man who's prime had long past, and was a symbol of the traditionalists that caused Magical Britain and Europe to remain so far behind the rest of the world. A few who knew or heard of Dumbledore's early history saw him as a man facing down his personal demons, and could not bear to have any more blood on his hands. Many had long suspected that Albus was somehow involved in the death of his sister Ariana, which was also believed to have caused the animosity between Albus and his brother Aberforth. No one knew which theories were correct, but many did recognize that any blame was not his alone.

The Ministry of Magic in Britain had proven to be completely useless, never learning from the past, and an utter failure in protecting its own citizens. It was dominated by Riddle-sympathetic "Purebloods" who had turned Magical Britain into the magical counterpart of Enver Hoxha's Albania or the Orwellian state of North Korea, completely cut off from the rest of the modern world. The Head of Wizengamot was little more than a figurehead, with the factions in the ruling house holding the true power. It was only a matter of time before the policies espoused by one Dolores Umbridge were enacted and a new reign of terror, endorsed by the Ministry, commenced.

Lt. Commander Smith had heard stories from his parents about their experiences in Magical Britain's repressed society, which painted a rather depressing picture to say the least. The buildings looked like it they were stuck in the early Victorian era. Everyone still used oil lamps or fire torches for lighting. The witches and wizards still used quills and parchment for writing. The House-Elves were used as slaves, conditioned to obey and serve their masters without objection. The Goblins in Britain were more or less considered second-class citizens, and the only reason why Gringotts still had a branch in London was for profit. The majority of magical Britons wore either early-Victoria clothing or garish robes that would stand out even in the relatively diverse Baldwin Street or Silvermoon. There were even rumors that marriage contracts were still used in some pureblood circles and inbreeding was practiced. For outside observers, it was hilarious if it wasn't so sad. Of course, the rest of the Magical Old World was also behind Asia and North America, though the continent was far ahead of the archaic society in Britain.

Smith's view of Magical Britain was also affected by the fact that a number of relatives, magical and non-magical, had died during an attack on Diagon Alley during that first crisis. His parents, who by then had long migrated to Canada, had been devastated by so many loved ones lost; his father had fought a perpetual struggle with alcohol, fighting the urge to drown his sorrows for the lives that had no tomorrow, until he passed away two years ago. His mother had lost so many relatives to the terrorist attacks, and soon passed away following the death of her husband.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear those thoughts, Smith also knew that the Canadians were on edge, and were itching to permanently deal with Riddle and the rotted Ministry of Magic.

It was clear that the self-titled Lord Voldemort was trying to indirectly attack Harry Potter, as well as attempts to silence several opponents of the Fudge Administration. Already, many members of the Canadian DMA believed that the Fudge was a De Facto puppet for Riddle, with Lucius Malfoy controlling the Minister's decisions. It was so bad that Smith heard from Commander Chan that the Defense Staff was considering the reactivation of Magical Canada's secret battleship, currently docked at CFB James Bay as a floating training and administration center. That vessel was _HMCS Canada_, formerly the WWI-era dreadnought _Sao Paulo_ of the Brazilian Navy which had officially "disappeared" while being towed for scrapping. The vessel was only to be reactivated if there was a dire threat in the Wizarding World, one that could affect Canada, and with Britain during relatively dark, many feared the worst.

* * *

><p>08:36:00 AM EST<p>

Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Harry was currently sitting next to Daphne as they another delicious breakfast Leslie had prepared for the inhabitants of the house. Daphne closed her eyes as Harry fed her a forkful of pancakes drizzled in Maple Syrup as they ate with the other teens in the house, with Sirius also out meeting with Remus and the Twins while the rest of the family had day camp or work. Neville and Tracy were also feeding each other breakfast, with Neville coming a long way from the nervous first year that Harry remembered. However, there was an air of apprehension, as they knew that Daniel Greengrass hadn't been home for the past few days. Sam, Harry noticed, looked a bit uncomfortable, knowing what it meant when his father was out for multiple days.

Remus and Tonks, along with the Twins, were currently staying at an Inn on Baldwin Street, allowing them to get a good look at Magical Canadian Culture. Sam Greengrass was already being "corrupted" by the Twins, and promised to promote the Weasleys' joke business to Orenda students. Of course, the Twins themselves were now planning to re-enter school, despite their previous apathy for education; they were told that many jobs in Canada preferred applicants who had completed their secondary school system, and after joining Harry and the others in tutoring session, were actually enthralled by everything that was being taught. Their antics had amused the tutors, who were both amazed by their practical knowledge and horrified at the prospects of the pranksters terrorizing the school. As Canada's secondary education ended at the age of 18, the twins were allowed to enroll in Grade 12, which was equal to a hypothetical eighth year at Hogwarts.

Their tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays began at 9 AM sharp, with the arrival of Mr. Darvill for Defense. As the Canadian Equivalent to DADA involved both magical and non-magical warfare, Tuesday's lessons focused more on the magical aspect, with the teens usually heading into the backyard with their tutor. Daniel made a backyard shed that was magically expanded into his personal gym and training room, as well as holding a few more tools than your typical backyard gardener. The teens were allowed to use his shed for workouts and practicing their defense skills, firing harmless hexes at each other and more powerful hexes and curses at the dummies, which were able to fire back with stinging hexes. The training room was about the size of a small school gym, equipped with racks of wooden weapons, charmed training dummies, as well as fitness equipment and weights.

However, Thursdays were focused on non-magical training, and the teens met Mr. Darvill who handed out a rope charmed as a portkey, which took them to a magical firing range hidden in Sudbury, Ontario.

Unlike in Britain, minors below the legal age of 18 were allowed to get a minor's firearm license, allowing them to borrow a firearm unsupervised and purchase ammunition, though they were prohibited to purchase their own guns. Last Thursday saw the teens getting the licences following safety training and some supervised time out on the range; this week would be their second time.

For the next hour, the six teenagers practiced their marksmenship on non-enhanced Lee-Enfield rifles chambered for the inexpensive .22LR rimfire cartridge. Unlike the typical single shot .22LR Enfield conversions used by many cadet organizations, these were enabled for magazine loading, and could then be loaded with up to ten rounds. The teens were laid down at the prone position on mats as they aimed their rifles at the paper targets at a range of 20 meters and fired. Thanks to the marvels of techno-magery, the range collected all expended rounds and recycled the materials into empty bullet casings of various calibers, which were then leaded with fresh gunpowder before being sold for cheap. In any case, Darvill brought along 600 rounds for the teens to enjoy while he practiced his own aiming skills with his personal Para-Ordinance 14-45 pistol.

After the session, Darvill noticed that Hermione was already showing promise as a sharpshooter, as her shots were grouped very close together. Harry, Tracy and Daphne both were aiming quite well, a bit more scattered than Hermione's but still very good for their second time. Neville was having some difficulties compared to his friends but were still decent. However, Sam, who was a part of Orenda's marksmen club, was firing erratically, with rather loose groupings and he looked rather tense throughout the session. As a former member of the Army, he still had a few contacts, and the rumors among the army circles were that the ninjas went hunting last night, on British soil.

Lunch was a quiet affair, with the teens eating at a Harvey's restaurant, enjoying the freshly made burgers while quietly chatting with each other. After returning to the shooting range, they were portkeyed again, back to home for the afternoon lesson, which was the dreaded math tutorial under Mr. Philippe Tremblay, the chief Arithmancy instructor at Orenda. For most of the teens, it was a challenge to seal with the confusing equations and terminology of mathematics, though Hermione and Daphne took to the subject like fish to water. That was followed by a two-hour potion lesson followed by Dinner.

Once again, Colonel Greengrass was not present for dinner, and the teens could tell that Mrs. Greengrass was worried along with Sam.

After dinner, the teens spent their time in the living room, until 9:30 PM, when someone knocked at the door, and the teens heard Mrs. Greengrass gasp in shock. As harry entered the entry door, he could see that the Colonel was finally back, donned in his work uniform, and looking worse for the wear. He looked tired, his eyes bloodshot, and face downcast as he quietly talked with his wife, who was holding back her shock and tears as he turned towards the backyard, not paying attention to everyone else. Everyone decided to follow the Colonel to see what was going on.

The Colonel was surprised to see the teens and Sirius with him in the backyard, but looked too tired to care as he took out a long rope which he absent-mindedly passed the length out to the others. As soon as everyone grabbed the rope, he tapped his wand and everyone felt the familiar tug behind their navels...

They were deep within a massive forest, surrounded by towering poplars, spruce, and other trees natives to Northwestern Ontario. There was a small log cabin nearby, along with a small fire, a wooden bench for sitting, and a rather bullet-riddled hunk of metal lying against a tree stump. The sounds of the forests were almost amplified in this place and Harry could feel his goose bumps rising up.

Colonel Greengrass had went into the cabin while the others stayed outside in the awkward silence, flinching a bit when they heard the sounds of a wolf howling in the distance and the roar of a bear from another direction. When the colonel came out, he had a silver canteen in his hands, dressed in dull plaid clothing and dirt stained jeans. He grabbed a split log from a woodpile next to the cabin and threw it into the fire, with sparks and embers flying into the air before fading away. The fire flowed a brilliant red and yellow, its warmth felt by all.

The Colonel's face was now a mix of various emotions, with tears at his eyes as he starred into the fire. He did wandlessly move several logs to either side of the fire and gestured for the others to sit. He summoned two six-packs of beer which he gestured for everyone to drink

"Mr. Greengrass? I thought the legal drinking age in Canada is 18." Hermione interjected.

The Colonel laughed mirthlessly at the question before answering.

"Technically, Miss Granger, Ontario drinking laws forbid the purchase and consumption of alcohol by underage individuals at licensed premises. At home, as long as a minor is under adult supervision, it is fine. Besides, I'm only letting you folks drink beer; there's not that much alcohol in that."

The colonel took a seat as he opened his canteen and took a drink.

"As you may or may not know, I am the head of the Canadian Special Magic Service, which Canada's covert magical unit. My unit essentially was tasked with dealing with any magical threats that poses any danger towards the interest of Canada in the Magical world, namely counterterrorism operations, raids, and yes, assassinations. I could tell you all everything about those, but then I'd have to kill you." He again laughed harshly at the dark joke before suddenly turning solemn.

"Last night, my men worked with magical French Special Forces in dealing with an attack by Death Eaters, directed at Ottery St. Catchpole. The Death Eaters were out to kill."

Everyone sharply looked at the colonel in shock. Harry felt Daphne gripping his arm tightly as he began to figure out why, knowing in an instant what it all meant. Sirius stared silently into the fires with a look that would chill the hearts of most people.

As if in reply, Daniel continued, "We managed to stop the attackers from striking at the Lovegoods, Weasleys, and Diggorys, and all three families were safe."

Everyone released a breath they had unconsciously held but everyone looked tense as the Colonel continued.

"We took down most of the terrorists, but we lost one of the French soldiers."

Daniel took another drink, "the poor lad, Gaspar I believe, was apparently planning to propose to his girlfriend soon. He had the ring and everything; and now, his family and his girlfriend will have men in uniform telling them he's not coming home."

Tears fell from Tracy, Daphne, and Hermione's eyes as they glanced at the boys, who all appeared stone faced as they stared numbly into the flames. Michelle Greengrass was sitting next to her husband, unperturbed by the dirt staining the bottom of her dress.

"I decided to bring everyone here as I can feel that we need to confront the skeletons in our closets, our personal demons. Holding back every emotion, everything you've gone through will just let it fester inside, and eventually it will take control over your life. I've seen people who snapped because they kept clamming up about the past. And I've seen the aftermath of what happens when someone let's their demons take over."

"I still remember my first kill as a soldier. I was a Second Lieutenant, fresh out of training after landing in Canada. My troop was investigating a possible sleeper cell in Northern B.C., reportedly followers of a Dark Lord operating in Yugoslavia. While we never had a Dark Lord step on our soil for centuries, we did have followers attempting to cause chaos and terror among the magical populace. We also believed that the cell was responsible for a number of abductions of magicals from the region, so we had to go in as quickly as we could.

We went in guns blazing, around a half dozen died without knowing who did them in. We stormed the house, and there I saw a young man grabbing a girl by her hair, wand pressed to her neck, and threatened to kill her.

That face...I will always remember that face." He drank another shot of whiskey. "He was probably around his mid 20s. Light brown hair, lanky build, his forehead scarred with the symbol of that dark lord carved into the skin. His dark eyes were full of emotions. Excitement, fear, adrenalin, loneliness, but most of all they showed so much hatred. Hatred of everything around him: hatred of me, of the hostages, hatred of himself and how his life had turned out. My boss, a Major, tried to negotiate with him, but the lad kept pressing the wand harder and harder, and his eyes had this malevolent look, like he had nothing to lose and wanted to take down as many people with him as he could.

My boss gave a small gesture, a slight nod, and I fired my MP5, the three rounds striking his chest. The lad was too shocked and he let go of the girl before falling. His eyes still harbored so much hate. Only later did I learn he came from an abusive family that had fallen to alcohol and drugs, and he had failed in many other things in life before becoming a terrorist."

(At this point, I would suggest playing the cover of "Hurt" by Johnny Cash on a loop.)

Daniel looked at each of the Brits eye, one by one as he continued on. "Over the years, I've seen my fair share of terrorists dying and civilian injured or worse, those eyes haunt my worst nightmares." His wife instinctively hugged him, and he gratefully kissed her as tears trickled down his eyes. He continued on.

"I can clearly see the pain, the humiliation, the suffering in everyone's eyes tonight, and I think it is time we all talk openly about it. And I mean everything. Every moment you had sadness, regret, heartbreak."

For the next hours, everyone began to pour out their fears, moments of sadness, and all the pain that had happened in their lives. It was a rather cathartic night, to say the least.

Hermione was the first to speak up. Being a veritable bookworm, she had no friends before Hogwarts, being a constant target for bullying by her peers. At summer camps, she was always the loner, the person that no one talked to. The reason she always looked up at figures of authority stemmed from the fact that it only counselors and teachers paid any attention to her plight in school or summer camp, and she tried to escape the pain by reading books and trying to be the best at academics. Even in Hogwarts, she faced a daily battle of trying to prove herself fearing disappointment from the professors, only to further alienate her classmates, and had snapped when Ronald Weasley attacked her for trying to correct him at charms. She confessed, tears streaming down her face, that for the first four years at Hogwarts, Harry was the only real friend she had; she admitted that she didn't really liked Ron, and only tolerated him for Harry's sake. That was why she supported Harry in fourth year when all others abandoned him, and admitted that she privately lost her respect of Ron for siding with most of the school against Harry and her.

Harry went up to her and embraced her as she cried, with Sam standing up and glancing carefully at Harry. Harry loved Hermione as the sister he never had, and promised to always stand with her as her best friend; he knew that she and Sam were waiting for the other to make a move, and decide to assure Sam that he approved of the both together. Both boys looked at each other and nodded an unspoken agreement. Harry spoke soothing words to her, as the other teens stood up and gave a group hug. Hermione was overwhelmed by the support from everyone and she cried until she ran out of tears. Everyone eventually sat down, with Hermione now smiling, no longer burdened by her deepest fears and pain.

Sirius then broke down as he revealed the pain he suffered as a child under the domineering shadow of his mother. Long fascinated by the non-magical world, he was the rebellious child and fought tooth and nail against his traditionalist parent. He admitted that all that anger towards his Slytherin-dominant family made him target the easiest person to bully: Severus Snape. While his three friends also joined the harassing of the equally vindictive Snape, Sirius took the bully to a whole new level, culminating in the incident that nearly killed the current Potions Instructor at Hogwarts. He was heartbroken when James and Lily died, and his heart also broke as he realized that their "friend" Peter was the one who betrayed them to Riddle.

He also brought out his feelings of suffering while in Azkaban, all because he acted impulsively and tried to confront the betrayer. He said that he failed to be a decent Godfather to James child, not being there for him all those years, and also during the time he was forced into hiding after Harry's third year. Harry and his Godfather hugged each other, with Harry whispering his forgiveness to the surprisingly teary Sirius.

Tracy was the next to air out her pain. Her rather vulgar humor hid the feelings of pressure she had to make something out of her life, and she forever lived in the shadow of a lost sibling. Jonathan Davis, then a young 11 year old on his shopping trip before Hogwarts, had been caught in the crossfire between Aurors and Death Eaters in Diagon Alley and was killed by a stray curse during the onslaught. No one knew who fired the lethal bolt, and there had been a suspected cover-up by the Ministry that was never proven by his family. Tracy only found out about her lost brother when he stumbled upon her crying parents, who were commemorating the anniversary of the incident at Diagon Alley. Jonathan would have been 26 years old in two months time.

She was also afraid of staying in Slytherin House, fearing the lecherous gazes of boys like Malfoy, Flint, and the others belonging to Riddle-supporters. Her friendship with Daphne and Blaise Zambini became a sort of security blanket, a way to deter wayward snakes from biting her. She broke down as she recalled having to join Pansy Parkison's gang in first year for fear of reprisal from Malfoy and his minions. She choked back tears as she recalled a time in third year when a seventh year Slytherin tried to drag her to the senior boys dorm, being saved only in the nick of time by Blaise and Daphne who managed to stun the boy undetected and got her to safety.

Neville Longbottom followed as he opened up about the loss of his parents, who still lay in vegetative state at St. Mungo's. Like Tracy, Neville was living in the shadows of family members, namely his parents, who were both Aurors that fought hard against the darkness that tried to conquer the British Isles. His grandmother, though well-intentioned, often compared Neville to his parents, and his lack of evident magic in his early age made him the target of bullying by other "Pureblood" children, namely Draco Malfoy. He had long battle self-esteem issues, hampered by having to use his father's wand and due to the belittlement by so many people, including Professor Snape and Draco again. Tracy hugged Neville as they lost control and both bawled out all the years of pain surfacing at once.

Daphne, now barely able to speak, began to speak about her struggles living in Slytherin house at Hogwarts. Being forced to always watch behind her back, being forced to remain cold-hearted to everyone except her friends, and having to watch as most of her housemates torment so many others took its toll on her spirit. Recalling being forced in the first year to join Pansy Parkinson's gang and being forced to participate in some bullying of non-purebloods, she finally began to break down, as Harry began to hug her, rubbing circles on her back, and letting her cry on his shoulder as grief overcame her. She hated what she became, another one of the "snakes" that continued the vicious cycle of prejudice towards others outside of the house. She hated getting the hungry eyes of the disgusting boys who comprised the vast majority of the male population in Slytherin. While she quickly left the gang with Tracy, her guilt had lain deep within her for almost six years. Her experiences led her to joining Hermione in escaping reality through books and libraries. She focused on her studies, not wanting to become another one of the monsters that became Death Eater material. She spoke up about her ever-present fear for her sister, who she adored, and was afraid for Astoria who would return as a fourth year alone in Slytherin without the protection of Daphne.

Harry had to take some time to comfort his girlfriend, who knew that few of anyone's pain and suffering could match the horrify tragedy that was Harry's life. She could only hold on as Harry slowly let go of his emotions. Losing his parents at an early age, and being forced to live like a slave at his aunt's family for 11 year had scarred him emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. It was made worse by his relatives' claim that his mom and dad were drunks who died in a car crash, and by the beating he received as a child. Colonel Greengrass made notes, swearing quietly as Harry listed a few times that occurred, and decided to stand up remove his shirt, exposing the scars of nearly 16 years of pain and suffering, many by the people who were supposed to care for him. Everyone began to tear up as they saw the scars, and Daphne run up to hug him, crying at all the pain he had endured for virtually his entire life.

Harry then continued on, revealing his pain of being an outcast in Hogwarts, feared or fawned over by much of the student body, sometimes both in a single day. He poured out his frustrations over the years, from being ignored by faculty, to being blamed as the Heir of Slytherin, to being shunned by being forced to enter the Triwizard Tournament, with Ron's betrayal still heavy in his heart, to being the subject of much slandering by the Ministry of Magic, as well as Dumbledore's delays to finally tell him why he was being pursued by Riddle all this time. He hated all the fame forced upon him, he hated that everyone he loved was either dead or constantly under threat by Riddle and the Death Eaters. As he continued on, his body began to glow from all of the emotions begin released, to the shock of everyone present. On and on, he poured everything out, until there was nothing left to hide. He finally began to sob, burying himself in the loving embrace of Daphne, and was soon engulfed in the embrace of Hermione, Sirius, Neville, Tracy, Sam, and even the Canadian Greengrasses as everyone gained comfort from the group hug.

Emotionally drained, everyone decided to stay for the nigh. Thus, Colonel Greengrass went into the cabin and took out a magical tent, as the non-enchanted cabin could only hold three, with the adult all staying there. After the tent automatically set itself up, the teens entered to find six twin-sized beds in separate rooms. After some levitation charms and rearrangements of the interior, the teens would be sleeping in pairs, with silencing charms set up. Tonight, no one was in any mood to play around in bed, and Harry found himself asleep, embracing Daphne as they continued to recover from the cleansing of their hearts tonight.

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><p>Please Review<p>

EDIT: Note that each province has a different legal drinking age.


	17. Chapter 16: August

Notes: I am really sorry for having left this story off for so long, and I apologize for my following ramblings. Also, it is a bit of a short chapter, ah well...

Basically, I had a bit of writer's block, and was distracted with other things, namely a story about a futuristic Canada getting ready to beat the living tar out of the Axis powers of an alternate World War II (it makes sense in context). As well as other similar stories on the alternate history discussion board.

Anyways...

August 3, 1996

11:00:34 AM PDT

Harry found his throat was sore even as he was screaming wildly, strapped down in his seat by a tight harness. Next to him, Daphne was screaming just as loudly as they went upside down. In front of Harry, Sirius Black was howling mad, and Harry could hear the others screaming their lungs out.

Of course, they were perfectly safe, and the greater concern for the group was the blazing heat and sun burns. For they were taking the Saturday off for a visit to the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, and they were in an amusement park located at Hastings Park.

They were riding the Corkscrew, a steel roller coaster first opened only two years ago at Playland, and they were having the time of their lives. The two corkscrew loops and high speed turns reminded Harry of flying on a broom, but the ride was giving him an epic adrenalin rush. It was a rather short ride, but it left everyone catching their breaths. Harry mock-glared as Sirius bought several photographs of the Brits screaming on the coaster; they were taken by cameras located along the tracks. After collecting their breaths, the girls began to giggle as they dragged the others towards the imposing wooden coaster that had been the park's signature attraction since 1958.

After the emotionally draining chat a few nights ago, the Greengrasses decided to treat everyone to a visit to a theme park, to cheer them up and also give Harry a bit of the childhood he had been denied. They had portkeyed to Skana Point, a Magical District hidden in downtown Vancouver, and they took a magical bus, a safer counterpart of the Knight bus, to the park. Harry had insisted on paying the entrance fees for everyone, despite everybody's protests.

Remus Lupin and Tonks had joined the group, along with the twins, and with the exception of Sam, Sam's family, and Hermione, everyone else was just bewildered by the amusement park. Daniel and Michelle Greengrass had left the group earlier with their young children, taking them to the more kid-friendly attractions in the park, leaving Sam and the Brits to enjoy the day. The others were now trying to see how many rides they could get on before the park closed in the evening.

Tracy was having a small panic attack as metal restraints held her and Neville to their seats of the small car of the train. It felt even less safe than the Corkscrew, and the creaking of the wooden structures didn't help her either. At the very front of the train, Sirius had taken the entire row, with Remus and Tonks just behind him. Sirius looked behind him to see the fear in everyone's eyes. He gave a maniacal laugh as the roller coaster sped out of the station. Even Sam, who had gone to the park many times before, looked a bit unnerved by the crazed dog animagus.

After making a wide right turn, the train was soon getting pulled up by chains up a large hill, the creaking and clacking nerving most of the teens. Then at the top of the hill, the train raced down the steep slope, the laughter or screaming filling the air, as Sirius did a good impression of a rodeo cowboy, hollering in glee as he twirled an imaginary cowboy hat in the air...

(For the rest of the ride, here's the front row view: .com/watch?v=atCJxlmrfCw)

At the station, everyone was once again kneeling down, trying to catch their breaths and felt the after effects of another adrenalin rush. Then Harry began to laugh, not a humorless laugh or one hiding misery. It was the bright laugh of a boy enjoying a beautiful day with his girlfriend and friends on the west coast of Canada.

They ate hotdogs, fries, and burgers for lunch, before heading to play some carnival games. Harry managed to win a giant stuffed bear for Daphne in a balloon game, while Remus got Tonk a wildly colored stuffed monkey from skeeball. The Weasley twins got themselves inflatable hammers from a game of high striker, which they promptly used to swing at the others in the group.

After they went around the games for a couple of hours, the teens split off in pairs, with Harry and Daphne heading off to the Log Flume, while Neville and Tracy went towards the Wooden Coaster again. The twins and the Mauraders, plus Tonks, went to the Scooters Bumper car ride to terrorize other riders, while Sam and Hermione went to the Wild Mouse roller coaster. It was a night to be had...

August 15, 1996

08:22:45 AM EDT

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Harry was pacing back and forth impatiently as Harry, Daphne, Hermione, and Sirius waited for yet another arrival from Britain. Daphne stopped him in mid-pace, and her smile made him relax a little bit, though his mind was still pacing back and forth.

For the following days after Playland, the teens spent much of their free time either at the park near the Greengrass home, or were out shopping in Toronto. Their tutors continued the lessons, impressed by how fast the teens were soaking up the lessons. Harry felt happier than he ever felt before, and had gone on a few nights out with just Daphne. Neville and Tracy also went out a few times together, though Hermione and Sam had yet to actually go out.

Finally, they saw a lithe blonde girl walking out to the arrivals hall, staring wide-eyed at everything around her. Her father was also looking bewildered by the massive terminal. The Lovegoods had decided to head to Canada, with Xenophilius planning to search for undiscovered creatures in the vast wilderness of Canada.

Luna felt sad as Ron and the Weasleys decided to stay in Britain, taking residence in 12 Grimmauld Place, which was still doubling as the headquarters of the Order. It seemed that Mrs. Weasley was not ready to leave Britain, and didn't want to part with her two youngest children. Bill Weasley was apparently visiting Fleur Delacoeur, and was planning to join the part-veela witch in visiting Fleur's Montreal relatives during the fall.

The Rookery and the Burrow were both considered too dangerous to return to for the time being, as there were fears that Riddle's follows might return to simply devastate Ottery St. Catchpole. But, Luna was hoping to catch up with her friends in Canada, and had promised to find a way to write to Ron during the School year.


End file.
